


The Cat’s Shield

by Kazel_Menra



Series: Getting to know her [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien gets to know a certain pig-tailed girl, F/M, Marinette gets to fight as herself, a few different akuma in this one, feed the boy!, lots of fluff, poor confused Chat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-10-08 20:07:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17392871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kazel_Menra/pseuds/Kazel_Menra
Summary: Between akuma attacks and the stresses of everyday life Adrien catches glimpses of who the real person is behind a girl named Marinette.





	1. The Beginning... ish?

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of the longest fan-fics I've written so far... Lots of fluff and action ahead so enjoy and hold on tight!

 

"Marinette, you're going to be late!" Sabine yelled up the stairs.

Marinette jerked upright to promptly fall from her bed, tangled in the blankets. Hearing the large crash her charge made, Tiki opened her eyes and peered over the edge of the bed.

"Marinette, are you ok?" she asked as Marinette looked at her watch.

"Late!!!" Marinette squealed as she leapt to her feet, legs tangling in the blankets and nearly sending her head first down her ladder and into some of her furniture. She scrabbled at the drawers, grabbing a shirt and yesterday’s pants, before yelling down the stairs, "Coming, mama!"

It was a Monday in its truest form and Marinette didn’t know how she managed it, but somehow she made it into class with a minute to spare. “I hate Mondays,” Marinette panted as she collapsed into her seat, breathing heavily as she tried to calm down from her frantic flight to school.

"Slept through your alarm, again?" Alya asked, and Marinette managed to nod as the teacher walked into the room.

"Ok class, settle down," The teacher began, as the bell rang and the door burst open. Wes, a new boy to their class, stumbled in the door, dropping his books as he tripped. His bag burst on impact with the ground sending papers, pens, and his notebook sliding everywhere across the floor. As the rest of the class laughed and their teacher tried to regain control, Marinette stood to grab a pencil off the floor that had rolled her way. She collected some papers on her way to the boy and knelt to hand him his stuff.

"T-thanks… he managed, turning a bright red as he took the papers and pencil from her.

"No problem, I trip all the time," Marinette answered with a smile. "Your name is Wes, right?"

The boy nodded and looked up, causing Marinette to turn as well. Adrien stood practically at her back, a book in hand, and Marinette felt herself turn bright red as she tried to stand to move out of the way. Her feet betrayed her and she tilted, nearly losing her balance, when a strong arm went about her waist keeping her from hitting the floor. Realizing there was only one person who's arm it could be Marinette felt her heart speed up.

"Easy there, Marinette, we don’t want two people on the floor," Adrien said and once she managed to get her feet under her properly, he released her.

"Uh, t-thanks, scared, uh, um," Marinette barely managed and Adrien withheld a chuckle, seeing her face swiftly darken with a blush. For a moment the class’ laughter seemed to fade and silence filled the space, as she looked up into his eyes. They were a stunning sky blue and Adrien felt his heart stutter.

  "Um," Wes said from his position on the floor, breaking into the moment, and Adrien looked down realizing he was still holding the boy’s book in his hand.

"Oh, right, sorry about that," Adrien said, handing Wes his book.

"Adrikins, You don’t have to help that commoner. Just let Marinette do it, since she seems to enjoy it so much," Chloe said and Marinette whirled on her, as Wes flushed a deep red.

"Do you have to be such a snob?" Marinette demanded, causing Chloe to roll her eyes.  

”Y-yeah, this isn't the middle ages!" Wes said, his voice just the slightest bit too loud.

Chloe gaped at him, as titers were heard through the room. "Excuse me?" she demanded.

Wes stood, shaking like a leaf. "You heard me. I-I've only been here a little while and you are ridiculously cruel to others."

"Hear, hear!" Alya cried, and several other classmates joined her exclamation.

Chloe’s hand flew to her chest. "How dare you speak to me in such a way! Do you know who my father is?!"

Marinette rolled her eyes. "We all know who he is. In fact you never shut up about who he is."

Chloe’s jaw dropped, and even Adrien looked a bit surprised.

"Yeah, I'm not afraid of you!" Wes cried, and finally the teacher stepped in.

"That’s enough, all of you. Class started five minutes ago. Wes, please pick up the rest of your things, and all of you go back to your seats," the teacher snapped.  

Chloe huffed, the look on her face telling everyone that this little confrontation was by no means over. Wes gathered the rest of his things as Marinette and Adrien went back to their seats, and the class settled down once more. Once Wes claimed his seat in the back, class began in earnest, with Alya interrupting Marinette’s concentration every so often as they secretly passed notes. The day passed fairly quickly and at lunch Wes tracked Marinette down to where she was sitting with Alya, Nino, and Adrien. The four friends stared up at him expectantly, having long since gone silent, as they waited to hear him out. Wes stood nervously, shifting as he tried to decide what to say.

"I’m new and I… uh, am part of… what I mean is, I joined the acting club. They are making the costumes and a-after school I was hoping if maybe you could lend some expertise?" Wes asked, looking flustered and eyeing Marinette specifically.

At Wes’ question, Adrien felt a strange sense of annoyance pass through him. Wes was addressing the entire group in politeness, but in truth he was really only asking Marinette. For some reason that Adrien couldn’t quite fathom, the thought of Marinette hanging out with Wes alone annoyed him. Before he could think too much into it he let a pleasant smile slip onto his face, especially when he realized the others hadn’t said anything yet either.

"That actually sounds interesting. Usually we only get to see the finished products on stage. Seeing the costumes in the design phase sounds pretty cool," Adrien answered casually, before anyone else had the chance.

Wes looked at him in surprise and perhaps a bit on the disappointed side, but that quickly changed when Marinette piped up. "I've always wanted to check out the costumes as they are designed. If I can help I would love to!"

Alya and Nino were unfortunately busy with their own stuff, even though Alya wanted to check it out herself. Wes offered to show her another day and Alya was happy to accept, although Nino decided to tag along when she went to check it out as well. Today, though, it ended up being just Adrien and Marinette meeting up once school got out for the day. The three of them met up outside the studio, where all the plays and props were stored, and Wes let them in, then introduced them to the others. Everyone was really friendly and they tried to convince Adrien to come join the acting troop since he already had experience with modeling. Adrien politely declined since what little free time he had was taken up by other activities, but he still had fun as he helped with painting some props and being used as a mannequin for costumes. To his amusement, Adrien also got to see a whole different side to Marinette. Usually she was shy around him, unless Alya and Nino were there with them, and even then she could usually only manage a stutter or two for him. However, in a large group like this she was more distracted, talking to him without even realizing it, and Adrien found that he really enjoyed her wit. They spent almost an hour hanging out, helping with odd jobs, until Adrien was pulled away to help with something else.

Adrien had been pressed into acting as a model, since the person who would be wearing the costume he was in wasn’t able to attend that day. After putting the costume on, he was surprised to find himself standing before Marinette. Apparently, Marinette had agreed to help make some adjustments, and add some much needed design touches, since she had the time. So far everyone had loved the quick design fixes she had made and they were begging her to join the little troup, at least part time, so she could help out. Marinette had laughingly agreed, as long as it didn’t interfere with everything else she did. Now, though, standing before Adrien, Marinette was nervous. She had a job to do though, so Marinette swallowed a little hard and got to work, trying to forget that she was touching her crush as she moved around him. The moment she put the first pin in, Adrien sensed the change and it made him smile. Here, Marinette was in her element and as soon as she started pinning the costume he was wearing, it was as if she had forgotten about him completely.

“You really like designing and sewing, huh?” Adrien asked, causing Marinette to jump and look up with a squeak.

“Uh, yep, it’s clothes and fun. Uh… I mean...” she stuttered and, taking pity on her, Adrien put a hand on her shoulder, freezing her in place.

With a smile, he said in the gentlest voice possible, “Take a deep breath, Marinette.”

She did, a furious blush covering her cheeks and looked down at the pins in her hands. A long moment of silence passed between them, but then she slipped out from under his palm to move once more, circling around behind him, so that she could pin a hem up. “I really enjoy making clothes and designing them. I want to be a real fashion designer someday,” Marinette finally said, and Adrien felt something warm melt in his chest when she was able to speak without a single stutter.

“Well, I would be happy to model your clothes if you would like. I’ve seen some of the designs you have done and -ouch!” Adrien yelped as a pin slipped, jabbing him a little in the side, and Marinette sprang back away from him.

“Sorry! Sorry. I-I didn’t… You surprised…” Marinette cried, the mortified look on her face causing him to burst out laughing.

The other students still there came over to see what the commotion was about and, somewhere in the confusion, Marinette managed to sneak off since she was practically done anyways. Wes approached him as another student helped him out of the pin filled outfit.

“I got that,” Wes said, taking the outfit from Adrien and handing him his over shirt.

As the other student walked away, Wes shifted nervously. He had seen the way Marinette looked at Adrien, the way she had run off, and now his curiosity was practically killing him.

“Is Marinette dating anyone?” Wes asked, as Adrien took the shirt from his hand looking around, hoping to spot the twin tailed girl.

Adrien paused in his search, his face dissolving into a frown. “I don’t think so. Actually, no, I am pretty sure she isn’t.”

“Do you like Marinette?” Wes blurted, causing Adrien to jump.

“Uh, she’s a good friend of mine, of course I like her,” Adrien replied, feeling his face heat up.

Wes shook his head. “No, I mean-“ A loud boom cut him off, followed by a siren, and everyone froze. The sirens were new and part of a system he and Ladybug were working on with the mayor. Basically Paris was split into several sectors and sirens were installed in each sector, each with a different sound. Depending on the sound, Chat and Ladybug could tell where the akuma attack was taking place and get there far quicker. It made their response time even faster, plus it gave civilians a way to tell if their area was safe or if they needed to take cover. So far, the system was working extremely well.

“Akuma attack?” one person asked and the others shrugged. The boom hadn’t sounded all that close and the school sirens were not going off so, for now at least, they were safe.

“What’s an akuma?” Wes asked, somewhat clueless as the new guy, and Adrien slipped away unnoticed as one of the other students filled him in. Ducking into an empty classroom, he transformed and took off across the rooftops.

Thankfully, school was over and seeing as Adrien had nowhere to be and couldn’t find Marinette, he was glad for the distraction. Chat didn’t know how long the akuma attack had been going on but, since the siren had just gone off, it couldn’t have been that long. Chat just sincerely hoped that Ladybug wasn’t fighting on her own again. To his relief, he was the first on the scene for once because Ladybug showed up right as he came to the edge of a roof, less than two blocks away from the school. She stood on the chimney just above him, the brave, unruffled look she wore sending a pulse of giddy joy through him

“Ah, My Lady, what a purr-fect afternoon we are having. The sun is shining, akuma are attacking, and -ack!” Chat cried, as she threw her yoyo at him and yanked him up, as what appeared to be a fire hydrant crashed into the spot where he had been.

“Less flirting and more working, Chat Noir!” Ladybug scolded, good naturedly, as she threw them both sideways, avoiding the next missile with ease.

The yoyo released him and Chat stumbled to a halt, arms pin wheeling at the edge of the roof. “I always have time to flirt with you, My Lady… wait is that a minotaur?” he cried, looking over his shoulder at the furry thing in the street. Twisting around and dropping into a crouch, Chat got a good look at the akuma for the first time.

The person was bulked up several times more than any normal human and was entirely covered with dark black fur. Horns adorned its head and its face was bull like, complete with a ring in its nose. The ring they both noticed was purple.  

“The akuma is in the ring! Let’s get it, Chat!” Ladybug cried, wasting no time as she leapt into battle.

Chat grinned as he leapt into action with her. “You know what they say, My Lady. If you like it, then you should put a ring on it!”

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Just distract it, you silly cat!”

Chat laughed and did as she asked. He was honestly surprised, though, at how little time it took for them to defeat this akuma. His Cataclysm wasn’t even needed and her Lucky Charm ended up being a red polka dotted cape that she wielded like an expert matador. One well-placed extension of his baton was all that was needed and the ring was literally ripped from the Minotaur’s nose, just before it crashed headlong into the wall. Ladybug purified the akuma and after the congratulatory fist bump, she took off once more to disappear into obscurity. Chat sighed as he went off on his own way, only to remember halfway home that he had forgotten his bag at school. With another sigh and a glance at the setting sun he headed back to school and untransformed, letting Plagg eat some cheese as he decided what he wanted to take home with him. Once Plagg was full, he transformed into Chat again and took to the rooftops.

He was a block away from the school when he heard the furious cry of “Leave her alone!”

The voice made him skid to a halt in his tracks. That voice, that tone had sounded exactly like Ladybug.

“And what are you going to do about it, little girl?” a hard male voice demanded.

Chat let out a snarl and turned to where he heard the voices, sprinting as fast as he could.

“Kid, what are you doing?” Plagg demanded.

“Someone needs help, what do you think I am doing?” Chat replied, leaping to the next roof over. Plagg grumbled, and Chat hoped he was close.

“Run, lady!” Ladybug’s voice snapped again from the alley just ahead, and then the sound of flesh meeting flesh was heard.

A woman bolted out of the alley just in front of him and Chat leaped to the street, startling the woman so that she screamed, stumbling back into the wall. Chat recoiled, hands flying up as he took a step back.

“It’s ok! I’m not going to hurt you!” Chat yelped, as the woman took a breath.

Recognition instantly flashed across her features at the sound of his voice, and she pointed down the alley. “They will hurt her! Save her!” she cried.

Chat nodded, then darted past her, coming around the alley entrance as the woman ran away and froze, his jaw practically hitting the ground.

Ladybug was not in the alley. In fact, it wasn’t even a strong bruiser kind of person. Instead, sweet little Marinette stood there, squaring off against a man twice her size. A second man was already on the ground, looking fairly unconscious, and a bag full of what looked like groceries sat near where Chat stood.

“I’m gonna mess you up for that, little brat,” The man snarled, wiping a hand across his jaw, and Marinette dropped into a fighting crouch.  

“Bring it on, slowpoke,” Marinette shot back.

Before Chat could even think of stepping in, the man lunged and Marinette melted to the side, popping up from her crouch to crack an elbow into the man’s ribs, hard enough that Chat winced as the man went white. The blow clearly knocked the air out of his chest, as well as unbalanced him, and in the next second she had swept the legs out from under him, sending him crashing face first into the rough ground. Marinette jumped back, turned, and ran right at Chat almost running him over since she didn’t see him in the encroaching darkness.

“Princess?!” Chat exclaimed, finally managing to find his voice, then in a blur of movement he found himself against the alley wall, her fist inches from his face.

“Chat?!” Marinette exclaimed, pulling back, looking both confused and worried. “What are you doing here?”

Gently, Chat pushed her fist down looking her over for any injuries. “I think I should be asking you that question, princess. What are you doing brawling in the streets in the evening? Paw-lease, tell me this isn’t something you do every night?!”

Marinette rolled her eyes and flushed, backing off a step. “They were going to rob that woman and I called the cops, but they were not going to arrive in time, so I stepped in.”

Chat snorted in disbelief at the crazy situation he had found himself in. He had just witnessed Marinette… shy, sweet, adorable Marinette take down a full grown man, twice her size, with a single hit. Not to mention she almost took him out as well, although he told himself he would have been able to stop her before the blow struck. Either way, he was thankful she had stopped before he had reacted. He was still trying to wrap his mind around what he had just seen, but he wanted to make sure she was safe first. “Get your bag, Princess, we are leaving.”

“I don’t know who you think you are little girl, but you ain’t goin’ nowhere…” The man in the alley managed, as he got to his feet cursing.


	2. Monday

Marinette went stiff and turned back to face him, her hands balling up in preparation for another beat down. It was then that Chat noticed the scrapes on her knuckles and a kind of cold fury washed through him. He fought crazy akumatized people almost on a daily basis these days, and he as well as Ladybug got hurt all the time. It was hard to stomach seeing Ladybug get hurt, but he had accepted long ago that it was simply a hazard of the job they did. All he could do is protect her from the worst attacks or the attacks she didn’t see coming. However he knew that those people, no matter the damage and pain they inflicted, they were never really in control. Plus, he could see the horror on the people’s faces once they were de-akumatized and witnessed the anguish they had wrought. Those people were never to blame, but this man, in this alley, he was in control and that really pissed Chat off. Taking a deep breath, so he wouldn’t attack straight out, Chat slinked around Marinette, pulled his baton out, and got into what could only be described as a hunting stance. The man took a single unsteady step forward then froze, as Chat let out a snarl that even had the hairs on Marinette’s neck standing up. 

“You know who I am,” Chat growled, his voice low and menacing. “You see how well I deal with monsters. Do you really think I will have any trouble dealing with you?”

The man paled, slowly raising his hands as his partner came around with a groan. Close by, Chat could hear the telltale sound of sirens and could also make out the woman’s still frantic voice, as she led the police to their position. Figuring Marinette really didn’t want to be filling out any kind of police report, Chat glanced back to see her, bag in hand, watching the alley entrance, looking more than a little nervous. He was a little surprised, since he hadn’t even heard her move and mentally he chalked up yet another thing he hadn’t known about Marinette, once more wishing to get to know her better.

“Stay here. If you try and leave I will stop you and let’s just say that humans are far more breakable than akuma,” Chat snarled, pointing his staff at the mugger, making the man flinch then lower himself to the ground. Clearly this mugger wasn’t as dumb as he looked, and didn’t feel the need to test how bad his luck could get that night. 

“Chat, I think you have scared him enough,” Marinette whispered, a touch of worry in her tone as her hand came to rest on his shoulder. 

Rising from his crouch and still keeping one eye on the men before him, Chat glanced at Marinette, hoping he hadn’t scared her. Marinette didn’t look scared, she simply looked worried about him of all things. A small grin flickered across his lips and he slipped an arm around her waist. 

“Hang on, princess,” he whispered, then elongated his staff, sending them straight up to roof level and eliciting a squeak from her. Setting her down as gently as possible, he made sure she was in a safe flat spot on the rooftop, then slunk back to the edge of the roof to make sure the men didn’t try to run. They didn’t even try, especially when the one guy looked up only to find Chat’s very green, glowing eyes shining down out of the darkness. The cops finally arrived, handcuffed the two bruisers, and led them off, while Chat let a breath whoosh out, happy he hadn’t needed to interfere. Turning to face Marinette and wondering if she was ok, since she had been so quiet, he nearly fell off the roof in shock. She had moved from his nice, safe, flat spot and was sitting on a pipe, legs swinging merrily, looking about her with interest. The fact that her legs were swinging free over a 20 foot drop or so didn’t seem to faze her in the least, but the sight nearly gave him a heart attack. 

“What are you doing?!” he squeaked, rushing over to the edge of the roof. He wanted to reach out and yank her to safety, but he didn’t want to fall off the roof himself, or knock her off by trying to grab her. Instead, he settled for hopping nervously from foot to foot, as he yelped, “Get back on the roof!” 

Marinette turned so she was facing him and blinked, a bemused expression growing on her features. “I am on the roof,” She pointed out, waving a hand at the pipe she sat on.

Chat felt himself pale as he gaped at her and Marinette let out a sigh at his fretting, then pushed herself up to her feet. With a small turn, Marinette slid down off the pipe, hopping the two foot gap with a well-placed step and landing to the side of him. 

“You…you…” Chat stuttered, his hands reaching for her yet never actually touching her. 

Marinette raised an eyebrow at him, a small smirk flitting across her lips. “I hang out on my rooftop all the time. Surely you didn’t think I was scared of heights?” 

Chat raised his hands to his hair, forcing himself to take several deep breaths as she walked back to where her bag of groceries was. His mind was blown. Officially, totally, blown and he was shocked that the girl before him was the same one that constantly tripped over her own two feet on an even, flat surface. Ruefully, he wondered what other surprises her small form held. 

“Do you take out bruisers in alleys all the time, too?” He asked, finally lowering his arms back to his sides.  

Marinette flinched as she scooped her groceries up off the ground and turned back to him. “Um, well, no…” she managed, looking embarrassed. “I mean, my mom taught me how to fight and I am pretty decent, even though I am clumsy. I just can’t stand to watch someone get hurt when I can help stop it, and I… I just…” her voice stuttered to a halt as her eyes met his and Chat sighed.

“I… understand, princess, but let’s leave saving people to the cops, or Ladybug and I, ok?” Chat asked, as Marinette rolled her eyes. “I am your cat in shining leather and I think you have been through enough for tonight. May I escort you home?” 

Marinette waved a hand, about to decline his offer when she realized he wasn’t really asking. “You’re going to follow me no matter what I say, aren’t you.” 

Chat nodded, a serious look on his face. “Basically.”

“Ugh, but you know I can take care of myself, so why?” Marinette demanded, complete with a foot stomp.

Chat’s lips quirked at her adorable display of frustration. “Because it’s my job and Ladybug would skin my hide of she knew I let you walk off alone after that mess,” he answered, jabbing a thumb at the alley behind them. 

Marinette huffed, rubbing at her temple with a free hand. He was right. If she found out he let someone walk away from a situation like she had gotten herself into, without making sure they made it home ok, she would be upset. Even with her knowledge and strength as Ladybug Marinette had put herself into a very dangerous situation. It didn’t matter that she could and had handled the situation, or that Chat didn’t know she really was Ladybug. She was going to have to pay the price of her recklessness, so in other words she had lost this battle. 

“Fine, you can take me home,” Marinette muttered, looking resigned.

Chat grinned and, in the next second, Marinette let out a squeal as he scooped her up into his arms before launching them into the sky. 

“What are you doing, you crazy cat?!” Marinette cried, as they cleared a space that made her heart drop. 

Chat spared a glance at her. “Taking you home!” he answered, a sly grin crossing his face.

Once more Marinette realized she had lost and shifted slightly in his arms. “You could have at least warned me.” 

Chat laughed outright, the sound rumbling deep within his chest. “You would have said no!” 

Marinette lips quirked as she tried not to smile, then gently smacked a hand against his chest as they cleared yet another gap in rooftops. “I said you could walk me home, not carry me! Besides, I went out through my front door. If I renter through my roof I will have some explaining to do.” 

Chat slowed as he thought about what she said. “You don’t want them to know I brought you home?” He asked, feeling odd as his heart sank into his boots. “Or… you don’t want them to see me?”

Marinette snorted. “Neither. I don’t want my parents to know I fought two bruiser guys in some back alley. It doesn’t matter that I won or that I called the cops beforehand. My mom taught me to fight so that I could defend myself and she doesn’t like it when I get into fights, regardless of the circumstances.” 

Chat was silent for the rest of the trip and Marinette allowed it, figuring he needed a moment to digest her words. Marinette sighed, relaxing into his hold as he came to a stop on a roof directly across from her home and decided it was time to break his unusual silence. “You can come in as long as you don’t mention the fight if you would like. My parents would like you and you must be hungry, since its evening.”

Chat dropped her he was so startled and she clung to him, her feet hitting the roof as he managed to keep a grip around her torso at the last second. “I…I, um… really?” he asked hoping he didn’t look desperate.

Marinette bit back the sharp retort she had for dropping her so suddenly. The look in his eyes was practically desperate, lonely, and hungry, all at once. Longing, she realized, and swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, she nodded. “If you don’t have anywhere else to be, come eat with us. Just first get me down from here without dropping me again.”   

Chat nodded eagerly. He didn’t have anyone waiting for him at home and, lifting her into his arms once more, he made his way down to street level before setting her gently on her feet. 

Following her to her front door he took her heavier bag of groceries with a smile and opened the door for her house. Marinette frowned a little at him, but his smile never faltered, and with a shrug she went inside, calling out, “Mama, Papa, I’m back and I brought someone home with me! I hope you don’t mind having an extra!”

Chat allowed the door to close behind him and almost warily trailed after Marinette up the stairs. He had been in the house before with Ladybug and he had seen firsthand that her parents were kind, accommodating people. However, having a person just randomly show up to eat might not be the best test of such things. If such a thing happened at his home there would be repercussions which would most likely result in said person being thrown back out into the street. So it was with a bit of trepidation that he came around the edge of the wall, pausing for a moment even as Marinette walked inside. 

“Oh, good, you got the peas and garlic butter,” Sabine called, taking the bag from her daughter’s hands. “Where is your friend?” 

Marinette glanced behind her and after a moment saw Chat still huddled by the door, looking nervous. “You can come in Chat, mama won’t bite.” 

“Chat?” Sabine queried, then spotted the hero by the door. A smile bloomed across her face and she came around the counter, arms opening wide. “Chat, dear, how are you doing? I haven’t seen you since you helped my daughter’s classmate!” 

Chat blinked, wide eyed as Sabine was on him in moments, wrapping him in a hug that left him breathless and made his eyes water with held in emotions. The warmth of her hug enveloped him to his core as Chat took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the sweet scent of bread, sugar, and flowers that Sabine seemed to wear like a perfume. Sabine pulled back, pressing her hands to either side of his face, as she gave him a once over. 

“No injuries, but I think you may have grown since we last met. Are you going to stay for dinner?” She asked, leaving Chat feeling slightly shell shocked. 

Marinette realized Chat didn’t know how to answer and it was obvious he wasn’t used to affection in the way her parents gave it. “Chat was nice enough to walk me home, so I wanted to feed him some dinner before he wandered off again.” 

Chat blinked, then flushed as Sabine took his arm and, after taking his bag of groceries, pulled him into the room to Marinette’s intensifying smile. 

“Wonderful! We can always use another hand and with your father finishing up in the bakery, Chat can reach all the high things for us!” Sabine chirped, as she released his arm and moved back behind the counter.

Marinette snickered at the stunned look on Chat’s face, especially since he hadn’t managed to find his voice yet. It was actually really cute. She was used to him being a suave flirt that rarely shut up. It was nice to see him shocked into silence for once. 

They quickly realized as they put Chat to work that he was not a cook. He couldn’t mold anything due to his gloves (his claws poked holes in the pastries), he was bad at timing when to flip the tortillas, and in fact it quickly became apparent that he had a talent for burning even water. Sabine laughed at his mishaps and made him hold the bowls or sent him to fetch things for her instead, as Marinette took his place cooking. The thing was, though, Chat didn’t mind. He was ecstatic at the experience of helping them cook, even if he had no clue as to what he was doing. They didn’t mind his mistakes or his fumbling and, if he were being honest, this was the first time he’d had this much fun in a while. Plagg was mostly silent the entire time, although he demanded that Chat bring home some of the cheese bread they were making.  

“I didn’t know we’ve adopted a kitten!” Tom’s voice boomed from behind them and Chat yelped, jumping into the air while dropping the bowl he had just fetched from the cabinet. 

It clattered to the ground as Chat turned, ears flat and shoulders hunched, looking up into Tom’s merry eyes. 

“Hello, kitten, haven’t seen you since that animal thing came after that kid,” Tom said, his voice a little softer as he realized he had startled Chat. 

Chat nodded, unsure of what to say, and Tom smiled then tousled Chat’s hair. “Well then, it would seem you have grown a bit since then, unlike my tiny, fairy daughter.” 

“Papaaaaa….” Marinette complained, looking up from the dough she was rolling out. 

Tom chuckled and in a not so quiet whisper said, “She actually doesn’t mind being called a fairy. She just likes to complain.” 

Chat snickered. “I call her princess.” 

Tom roared with laughter, slapping a hand to Chat’s back making him nearly stumble forwards. “Atta boy! Do they have you fetching all the implements they can’t reach?”

Chat nodded and bent to pick the bowl up off the ground. Tom took it from him and guided Chat to the sink. 

“They seem to have the cooking handled. Let start cleaning up so we don’t have a giant mess at the end,” Tom said brightly, as he flipped the water on and rinsed the bowl off that had hit the floor. Once clean he handed the bowl to Chat, who ran it over to Sabine before returning to Tom’s side to dry off the dishes he handed out. Once a few were clean and dry, Chat raced around the kitchen putting the items away as Tom told him where they went. In between dishes, Sabine and Marinette sometimes requesting an item or a spice, and Marinette needing Chat to hold a spoon steady as she fixed a pastry, Chat found himself blending in with the small family before him. It was fun. Far more fun than he ever had in the evenings and he didn’t even think about the time. Dinner took an hour to prepare, then cook, and when it was ready, Chat was thoroughly warm as well as starving.  

“Alright, who’s hungry?” Tom called, as he pulled out the golden brown pastries from the oven. The smell that wafted from them was heavenly and Chat drifted forwards. Marinette, hands on his arm, stopped him and he glanced at her, a sheepish grin crossing his face. 

“The pan is hot, let papa get them off, then we will get started,” Marinette said, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

Chat was eager to get started. He had helped cook this meal (kinda) and it was an amazingly smelling Mexican style meal (sorta). In any case, it was food that for the most part he wasn’t allowed to have on a normal basis, and that made him even more eager to try everything he hadn’t helped burn. 

“Make sure you grab some of that cheese bread,” Plagg grumbled in the back of Chat’s mind and Plagg wasn’t surprised when Chat didn’t answer. In truth, Plagg was happy for his kitten. It was rare that the boy was shown any kind of affection and the twin tailed bakers’ kid seemed more than happy to share the warmth of her home with his lonely kitten. That alone was sweet, but he also sensed that there was something more to the bakers’ daughter, not that he would ever tell. 

Chat tried everything  they had made and in the end he lay sprawled on Marinette’s chase in her room, belly stuffed to its absolute max, with a small doggy bag near his head on the floor. “I’m soooo full…” Chat purred, stretching a little before going boneless once more. 

Marinette snickered, dropping to her knees by his head and poked his cheek. “Great, I knew I shouldn’t have fed you. Next, you’re going to want a sleeping place to nap in.”

Chat felt a lazy smile slip onto his face as he pretended to nip at her finger. “Mmmm, I could go for a nap,” He said, wiggling a little, so his head pressed against her knees. 

Marinette rolled her eyes and booped his nose. “No, nipping, bad kitty.” 

Chat pouted, then smiled again, as she ruffled his hair. “Thanks for helping us clean up and fetching what mama and I needed. It was a big help.”

“Any time, princess,” Chat purred, arching into the touch. “I never get to do stuff like this at my house so anytime you need help, I’m your cat.”

Marinette frowned at his words, but she didn’t press for answers like she wanted to. His life behind the mask was his private business and as his partner it was her duty to respect his privacy. She was happy that she could do something for him though, even if it was only feeding him dinner. Instead of questioning him, Marinette slipped her fingers through Chat’s silky hair and smiled as he began to purr in earnest. Somehow he ended up halfway sprawled across her lap, eyes closed, and a rumbling purr oozing out of him as her hand stroked across his head and down his back. Chat was so comfortable and warm like this, he felt safe. Safe in the lap of his princess, in a home that smelled of cookies, and he didn’t even remember falling asleep. 

He woke up, wrapped in a blanket that smelled like cookies and curled into a ball against the softest pillows he had ever imagined. Slowly, he uncurled himself, realizing that he was shrouded in darkness and he wasn’t transformed. Jerking upright, Adrien barely withheld a yelp of surprised worry, as he took in Marinette’s dark room. He could hear nothing but normal house sounds and he realized it was super early in the morning. 

“They covered you up so they didn’t see you detransform. You’re lucky twin tails isn’t a curious kitten, otherwise your cover would be blown,” Plagg whispered from the darkness and a moment later he flew out from under some of the blankets. 

“Marinette just let me sleep?” Adrien asked, a bit confused and awed by her. 

Plagg grumbled. “Well, she did try and wake you, but she couldn’t so she covered you up and told her parents you were sleeping here for a bit, but that you would probably be gone by morning.” 

Adrien gave a small groan and scrubbed at his face. “Great, she probably thinks I’m some freeloading freak or something.” 

Plagg gave a sigh of his own and decided to be nice for once. “Actually, she thinks you are cute sleeping and she was worried about your health.” 

“She thinks I’m cute?” Adrien asked, a small smile lifting his lips.

“Yes, and like me she called you a stupid kitten, now can we please go? I want some proper cheese and you have school later.” 

Adrien glanced down at Plagg, a bit surprised by the kwamis words. “Uh, sure, but since when are you responsible?”

“Since a bug decided to annoy me,” Plagg grumbled, too low for Adrien to hear. Then noticing his questioning look, he sighed. “I just want my Cheese and some more sleep.”

Seeming to realize he wasn’t going to get any answers out of his Kwami, Adrien relented. “Alright Plagg. Claws Out!” Before he left, Chat wrote a brief note for Marinette saying thanks, then grabbed the suspiciously lighter bag Marinette’s parents had made for him. Slipping out Marinette’s window was easy and he made his way home, hoping no one had noticed his absence. Detransforming in his room, Adrien plugged in his phone and was happy to find that no one had missed his absence at all. By the time he took a shower and changed into pajamas he was actually a bit sleepy again, and once Adrien set his alarm he collapsed into his bed, falling back to sleep almost instantly. 


	3. Tuesday

An alarm that was set far too early startled him awake and Adrien groaned as he sat up in his bed. He had been having a pleasant dream although, as he stopped to think on it, he found he couldn’t remember exactly what it had been about. A lingering scent of cookies in his mind made him think of Marinette though, and he smiled as he slapped the alarm into silence. Glancing at the time, he realized his alarm had gone off almost an hour earlier than it was supposed to. With a shrug, Adrien re set it then stretched back out across his bed, burrowing his face into his pillows, figuring he could get a little more sleep before having to get up. Relaxing once more, Adrien let his mind drift off until Plagg dug his tiny but sharp claws into him. 

“OUCH! Plagg, what the hell?!” Adrien snapped, shooting upright and turning to face his kwami. 

Plaggs tail twitched and his little paws were crossed as he floated before his chosen. “You never got me cheese last night and I want some more cheese bread as payment.” 

Adrien growled under his breath, even as he rubbed a hand over his face. “Yeah, yeah, fine but… wait… did you set my alarm?” 

Plagg nodde then dodged Adrien’s pillow as it flew at him. “I didn’t think you would want to be questioned as to why you had food from an outside source, since I assume you want to eat the leftovers for breakfast?” 

Adrien blinked and looked at the doggy bag Marinette’s parents had given him. He had wanted to eat the leftovers for breakfast and he couldn’t exactly heat up the food in front of the staff. For many people it might seem odd, but he hated the protein shake, bland eggs, and rye toast he was forced to eat every morning. 

“Fine,” Adrien conceded, getting up off the bed, “But you could have warned me last night or something.”

Plagg snickered. “Where is the fun in that?” 

Adrien snuck into the kitchen and found he was up early enough that he beat the chef that usually prepared his meals. After heating up his food, then grabbing Plagg his precious cheese, he left a note telling the chef breakfast wasn’t needed and neither was lunch. Adrien just hoped that the chef wouldn’t alert his father to the missed meals, since the chef sometimes seemed sympathetic towards Adrien’s diet. Skipping meals wasn’t something Adrien could get away with very often, but it was nice when he could. The taco pastries were amazing heated up and so was the tiny piece of cheese bread his gluttonous kwami left him. All too soon his real alarm went off and Adrien got ready for school, slipping out of the house before the gorilla could seek him out to drive him there. Arriving at the school early, Adrien relished the calm atmosphere the building had as sleepy students filed in, looking unprepared for the day. Having already gotten his school bag ready for his first few classes, Adrien headed over towards the classroom, only to freeze as a shrill voice caught his attention. 

“...don’t know who you think you are, asking someone as prestigious as Adrien for help, but you need to learn your place,” Chloe snarked and Adrien groaned, heading in the direction of her voice. Briefly, he wondered who she had cornered this time, then decided it didn’t matter since it was far too early in the day for her to be causing akumas. 

“I didn’t ask him. I was asking for Marinette’s help and he practically invited himself,” A boy’s voice answered, a bit wobbly, and Adrien recognized Wes’s voice easily. Grinding his teeth, Adrien hurried forward, really not liking the situation especially after yesterday morning. 

“Tch…” Chloe spat. “Like I care for your excuses, you stupid newbies should mind your place. This is an elite school and…”

“And everyone who is here belongs here, Chloe,” Adrien snapped, coming around the wall. 

Chloe spun around, surprised, and poor Wes looked relieved at his sudden arrival. Adrien felt for him. Usually it was Marinette who caught the worst of Chloe’s attitude, but for the most part Marinette could handle herself and Alya was always happy to back her up. It was probably because Wes was new and didn’t back down when she snapped at him the first time. However, like Marinette, Wes seemed to bring out the worst in Chloe. 

"Adrikins! You're here early!" Chloe purred, moving towards him even as Wes wiped a slightly disgusted look from his face.  

Adrien sighed as she threw her arms around him with a happy squeal. "Chlo, it's too early to be causing a scene. Why are you picking on Wes?" 

Chloe pulled away briefly, her nose scrunching up. "He is being a nuisance and he needs to learn his place." 

Adrien wanted to pull his hair out even as his eyes met Wes’s, and the boy flashed him a smile that to all other. would seem real, but one Adrien recognized as a fake almost instantly. Adrien wanted to apologize for Chloe’s behavior, hell, he wanted her to apologize for her behavior, but he knew it would never happen. Chloe was a force of her own to be reckoned with, and in her eyes she was never in the wrong. That thought brought a slice of anger surging through Adrien’s blood since his father acted much the same way, and all at once Adrien decided he'd had enough. Reminding himself to be gentle he pulled Chloe off him. 

"Chloe, quit picking on people. Wes hasn't done anything to you and you have been extremely rude to him from the first day he has been in our class." 

Chloe pouted, as Adrien took a step away from her and towards Wes. 

"I'm sorry about Chloe, she is having a bad week since Sabrina is sick right now," Adrien said softly, as he approached the boy. 

Wes shrugged, even though the look in his eyes told Adrien he was still miffed by Chloe. "It's alright, I suppose, but I would rather this stopped happening." 

Chloe huffed the glare she shot in his direction, telling him this wasn't over. "Whatever," She sniped, realizing she wasn’t going to get her way, and flounced off. 

Adrien sighed, one hand scratching at the back of his neck as Wes glared at the ground. "Are you ok, Wes?" 

With a shrug, Wes shifted his school bag to his other shoulder. “It’s not going to stop, no matter what I say or do so, sure, I guess.” 

Adrien winced, but didn’t try to stop Wes as he brushed past him. It was obvious the boy didn’t want his company, but Adrien also didn’t want to have to deal with an akuma this early in the morning. With a sigh, Adrien decided to try cheering the other boy up somehow, although he wasn’t even sure how to begin going about it. In the next instant though, he had his answer as Marinette’s voice called, “Morning Wes!” 

She was early today for once in her life and Adrien felt his heart stutter at her voice. Darting around the corner, Adrien froze as he saw Wes approaching Marinette, the smile on his face a natural welcoming smile instead of the forced garbage he had flashed at Adrien.  

“Morning, Marinette! Are you well this morning?” Wes asked, and although Adrien could feel the bubbles of jealousy start to pop inside of him, he decided to let Wes have a moment of peace with his princess. Marinette had a way with soothing moods and anything was better than an akuma, even if he was taking up his princess’ time. At that thought Adrien froze, wondering where in the hell it had come from. Sure, he enjoyed Marinette’s company, but when had he become so possessive of her? Besides, he liked Ladybug, and Marinette was allowed to have friends besides him, Nino, and Alya. The thought wouldn’t leave him alone though, and Adrien had to force himself to keep heading towards homeroom even as the siren’s call of Marinette’s laughter echoed out behind him. 

In the end, there was no other way to describe it. Adrien was grumpy. He’d been grumpy from the moment classes had begun and the only time he had even remotely lightened up was when Marinette had said good morning to him in her adorable, halting way. When the class called for them to work in small groups of four, Adrien managed to have a whole conversation with her. It had helped his grumpy mood tremendously, but that class had ended two periods ago, and on his way to his final class before lunch Adrien had spotted Wes trailing after Marinette like a lost puppy. Ears flushed and teeth gritted, Adrien had forced himself to go to his last class, not seeing Marinette’s worried gaze light upon him. Class was boring, allowing annoying thoughts to spin through his brain, and it was to his great relief when the bell rang. His fellow classmates filed out swiftly and Adrien wondered what he should do for his lunch. He was about to ask Plagg’s opinion in the now empty classroom when a nervous voice cleared itself from the doorway. Head jerking up, Adrien felt instantly better as he spied Marinette standing in the doorway. 

“Hi… um, hi… I just… are you ok?” Marinette managed, even as she cringed. 

Adrien suppressed a chuckle, his irritation dissipating like fog in a sunrise. “I am now. Sorry, Marinette, I think I am just hungry.” 

Marinette’s cheeks flushed bright pink, unsure if he was better because it was lunch time or if it was because she was there. “Ah… well, ok… I’m heading in lunch, I mean for lunch… I mean, I’m going home for lunch.”

Adrien sighed at the thought of all the wonderful leftovers he had helped make the night before. “Ah, I forgot my lunch actually, I don’t know what…”

“You can eat lunch with me!” Marinette practically yelped, cutting him off and making Adrien blink curiously. Marinette on the other hand, as she realized what she had blurted out, turned a darker red. “I-I mean… y-you can eat el-elsewhere or…”

“I’d love to join you Marinette, your family has some fantastic cooks,” Adrien answered, before she either retracted her offer or spontaneously combusted. Adrien wasn’t sure he had ever seen a human change to that particular shade of red before. 

“O-ok, yes, c-come on then…” Marinette managed, before turning and wandering back out the door. Adrien joined her a moment later and out of the corner of his eye Adrien swore he saw Wes disappearing into a nearby classroom. He put the thought out of his mind as the two of them left school with Marinette in the lead, as she took him to her house. 

Lunch was a slightly awkward fun affair, and about halfway through Adrien discovered a way to make Marinette loosen up around him. All he had to do was make her laugh. He made it his mission to make her laugh all through lunch, and through several rounds of gaming they squeezed in after they were done eating. Adrien even managed to win one of those matches with a well-placed giggle fit on Marinette’s part. When her alarm went off and she sheepishly suggested heading back to school, Adrien wanted to say absolutely not. Her home was just as friendly and welcoming as it had been the night before and he was becoming seriously addicted to the unique scent of baking, flowers, and warmth (if that even was a scent) that permeated her home. If he had been Chat, Adrien would have refused, before curling himself around a pillow and burrowing into the soft couch. He marveled how everything in Marinette’s house was soft. The floor, the blankets, the furniture, hell he wouldn’t be surprised if the countertops were soft and, as full as Adrien felt at the moment, he was sure he could fall asleep on just about anything. 

“Adrien? We really need to start heading back,” Marinette said, her voice holding a slight tremble, but she hadn’t stuttered. 

Adrien beamed at her. “I know, I was just marveling at how soft everything in your house is. It makes me want to take a nap.” 

Marinette giggled. “Well, if you want to take a nap later you can, but for now we really ought to head back.” 

A blush streaked her cheeks as Adrien shot up. “Really? You don’t mind me being here?” 

“I love it when you’re here,” Marinette blurted out, then turned fully red, even as Adrien felt a blush start up in his own cheeks. 

“Oh, th-thank you,” Adrien managed, then they both jumped as her alarm went off a second time. 

Instantly, Marinette went into frantic mode, as she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door. 

“C-come on! We are going to be late if we don’t run!” she managed, then they were running, and all Adrien could think about was the warm impression her hand had left on his.

They got to class with a few minutes to spare and everyone gave them a funny look as they walked in. Marinette blushed, but Adrien expertly ignored the looks as he sat down and tried to catch his breath. 

“Dude, where were you during lunch?” Nino demanded, asking his own version of the questions he could hear Alya rapid-firing at Marinette.

“I forgot my lunch and Marinette was nice enough to feed me. We were playing some video games and we kind of lost track of time,” Adrien answered, feeling his cheeks heat up a little and was glad the sprint back to school had already flushed his cheeks. 

Nino’s jaw dropped. “Duuude… You’re so lucky! Her cooking is the best!”

Adrien smiled as the teacher walked in. “Yes, it is. Marinette is amazing,” He said softly and Nino snickered, even as he lowered his voice. 

“SO, are you going to hang out with her after school?” he asked, as their teacher began to write something on the front board.

For a brief second Adrien’s face brightened then just as quickly fell. “No, I can’t. Father has some shoot planned and I can’t skip out.” 

“Bummer, dude. I think she is going to help Wes with the costumes again,” Nino muttered, just as class started in earnest. 

Adrien once more felt those bubbles of jealousy starting up and resolutely decided to ignore them. He was friends with Marinette and she was allowed to have friends besides him. He didn’t own her or her affections and, besides, he liked Ladybug. What he felt towards Marinette was simple friendship and joy at being offered a warm happy place to stay. That thought firmly stayed in his mind as classes went past in a blur and at the end of the day he found himself walking towards the front of the school with Marinette at his side. Alya and Nino were there too, but Marinette was the important one. 

“Hey, Marinette!” Wes called, as he spotted them and started to jog over. 

Adrien felt a sour taste fill his mouth and offhand wondered if this is how his friends felt when Chloe constantly pounced on him. 

“Hello, Wes,” Adrien called, a friendly smile pinned to his face as the boy came over. 

Wes actually returned the smile. “Hey, Adrien. Are you going to come help with the costumes again today?” 

Instantly Adrien felt bad at his jealous thoughts towards the other boy. Wes was new and was trying to find his place in the school, much like Adrien once had. It wasn’t his fault that Marinette was one of the best designers ever or that, for some reason, Adrien’s instincts had decided to get all possessive over her.

“No,” Adrien sighed a little miserably. “I can’t. I have a shoot to go to and I can’t skip. In fact, there is my ride.”   

Wes nodded, looking a little sorry for him. “Well, maybe next time, then. Are the rest of you guys coming? I know Alya wanted to get some pictures.”

Alya nodded. “I’ll come for a few minutes, but I’ve got some stuff to do as well later, so I can’t stay for long.” 

Nino simply shook his head. “No offence, man, but not interested. I’ll catch you guys later. Adrien want me to walk you out?” 

Adrien smiled at his friend. “Sure, man. Can I give you a ride home?” 

The two boys walked out to the car, side by side, and Marinette watched with a touch of longing. She wanted to be the one walking out next to Adrien, but she had promised to help Wes on the costumes again. 

“Well, shall we?” Wes asked and the two girls nodded, following him to the studio. 

Alya took her pictures and asked a few people in the club questions then, for a while, simply watched Marinette work. Marinette was glad for her friend’s presence. She didn’t know how to explain it, but she had a feeling that it would be more awkward without her there, since Wes practically hadn’t left her side since arriving. 

After a while though Alyas phone beeped and she sighed, climbing to her feet. “Sorry, girl, but I’ve got to go. Be careful walking home, ok?” 

Marinette nodded, blushing slightly, as she thought about the previous nights fiasco. “I will, Alya. You be careful too, since you have a far longer walk than I do.”

Alya grinned at her and waved calling, “See you, tomorrow. Thanks for letting me check this place out, Wes!”

Wes nodded with a smile, unable to let go of the fabric he was pinning. “You’re welcome! Come back any time.” 

Then Alya was out the door and with the exception of Wes’s other club mates, they were alone. They worked in silence for several long minutes before Wes spoke up. 

“Thank you again for helping out, Marinette,” Wes managed, his voice cracking a little. 

Marinette smiled at him. “You’re welcome, Wes. I’ll probably have to go in a little bit though, because I have homework I’ve got to get done today.”

“O-oh? Uh… well…” Wes murmured as he bit down on his lip, wondering how to phrase his next question. “Do you like Adrien?” 

Marinette jumped as she stabbed herself with the needle and yelped, her finger flying to her mouth. Wes cringed mentally as Marinette turned red. “Ah, Adrien?” Her voice was high. Too high, but she couldn’t seem to get it to stop squeaking. “I like him… um, friends? I mean we are friends and I like him as such… I mean, um… Do you like Adrien?” 

Wes choked. “I’m a guy.” 

“Oh! No, not, like that… I mean it would be ok if you did, but I mean…” Marinette slapped a hand over her bright red face, freezing in place. 

Wes to his credit chuckled a little sadly. He could tell she liked Adrien far more than as a friend, but maybe he could change her mind. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Marinette. I just wanted to know, because I was maybe hoping to ask you out on a date?” 

Marinette peered at him, eyes going impossibly wider, her hand still clapped over her mouth. She didn’t know what to say, what to do, and a beat of awkward silence past before suddenly the school’s alarm system went off. 

They both jumped, looking around as everyone froze, then ran rapidly for the doors leaving everything where it lay. 

“It’s an Akuma attack, Wes, get to safety,” Marinette yelled over the alarm and in the next second she was out the door before he could even think to stop her.    


	4. Tuesday

Marinette threw herself into the first hidden place she could find and watched, a little guiltily, as Wes ran past, calling her name. 

Tiki flew from her purse a moment later. “Marinette, he asked you out on a date! What are you going to do?” 

Marinette blushed. “I don’t know… hide forever, maybe?! I don’t think I have ever been so happy for an akuma attack,” she slumped against the wall, trying to calm herself, as Tiki flew up to hover right in her face. 

“You can’t just let this go, Marinette. You know from experience how hard it is to confess to a person. You can’t just leave him hanging!” Tiki squeaked, as she patted Marinette’s nose.

Marinette groaned and rolled her eyes. She loved her little partner dearly, but at times like this she wished she could strangle her. “Tiki, I like Adrien and Wes just… isn’t my type. I’ll tell him tomorrow, so can we please stop talking about this and go deal with the akuma?”

Tiki sighed, but waved a paw, and Marinette cupped her hands around her as she nuzzled her kwami gently, making Tiki giggle. “I promise, Tiki, I will tell him tomorrow. For now though, Spots On!” 

Once she was transformed Ladybug leapt out over the school’s rooftop, reminding herself to return and grab her bag later. The akuma had to be fairly close to the school if the alarms were going off, so she knew she shouldn’t have to travel far to locate them as she leapt from rooftop to rooftop. Smoke rose up from the ground a street away but she didn’t hear anyone yelling which was odd at best. Then, in the next second, as she jumped a gap in the roofs, a loud boom concussed the air around Ladybug, making her scream as her ears popped painfully. Disorientation followed immediately and she stumbled as her feet hit the edge of the rooftop, sending her sprawling against the tiles. 

“Marinette, move!” Tiki cried in her mind and Ladybug rolled to the side as the tiles where she had been crunched inward, before seeming to explode. The force of the blast knocked her off the roof and Ladybug yelped, her hand already going for her yoyo, when suddenly arms had hold of her. Glancing up she recognized Chat’s face as he grinned. 

“Looks like you need a paw, purr-haps?” Chat asked and to Ladybug it sounded like his voice was muffled or underwater.

They landed on the street and Chat set her gently on her feet, looking concerned. “My Lady, are you ok?”

Ladybug nodded, albeit a tad dizzily. “I got hit by the akuma’s attack. I’ll be fine, just a bit dizzy and hearing is muffled.”

Chat nodded then scooped her up once more, dodging as a blast shattered the pavement where they had been standing moments before. They slid to a halt behind a bus and Chat lowered her to her feet. Ladybug stood, bracing herself against him for a brief moment as her head cleared the rest of the way. An explosion sounded out behind them and Chat grimaced as his sensitive ears rang slightly. 

“Are you alright now, Ladybug?” Chat asked, as he took a deep breath. She smelled wonderful, like lavender, vanilla, and something spicy. He couldn’t quite place the scent, but Chat was snapped from his reverie when she still seemed rather unsteady on her feet. Ladybug blinked slowly then nodded, pulling away from him, as a blush colored her cheeks,when she realized she was still clinging to him. Chat missed the contact almost instantly ,wanting to take Ladybug back into his arms, but he squashed the impulse, liking his ears and tail where they were.  

“The akuma calls himself Boomer and I think the item is his pouch,” Chat said, watching Ladybug carefully as she peeked around the bus. 

“What are his powers?” Ladybug asked, then yelped, “Run!” as she shoved him forward. 

Chat stumbled but caught himself, even as Ladybug took hold of his wrist and yanked him forward, sprinting down the length of the bus. A boom shattered the air and the bus tilted radically, falling towards them.  They weren’t going to make it like this and with the building blocking them from the other side, Chat made his decision, yanking his hand from Ladybug’s before freezing in place. Whipping his staff out Chat slammed it to the ground, the other end catching the bus as it nearly tilted on top of them. Ladybug had stopped as soon as he pulled free from her grasp and Chat ran towards her, snatching her up into his arms, as the bus started to tilt, its balance uneven on his staff. Reaching over his shoulder, Ladybug tossed her yoyo out as they cleared the end of the bus, and another explosion caused it to go up in flames. The concussive wave knocked Chat off his feet, though he twisted so that Ladybug never hit the ground. They hit the ground hard enough to knock the air from Chat’s lungs and debris flew at them as the bus’ fuel caught fire, then exploded. Ladybug rolled off him, coming up to her knees, yoyo spinning, as she deflected pieces of metal and flaming debris. 

“You’re both finally here!” A male’s voice boomed and the heroes’ heads whipped around in unison, looking to the newest akuma they had to face. 

His hair was slicked back and he had on what almost looked to be army fatigues. A vibrant purple pouch hung on his hip and the akuma tossed a black ball easily in one hand, as it slowly turned from black to red. With a flick of his wrist the now red ball flew at them and Ladybug leapt to her feet, as she threw her yoyo in an instant, the colliding forces producing an explosion that made her drop to her knees again. Chat covered his ears, closing his eyes, as the wave of heat and sound passed over them. 

The akuma clapped his hands. “Excellent work, heroes! I have already introduced myself to the cat…” Boomer paused for a second and Chat hissed at him, climbing to his feet to help Ladybug up, as she passed his baton back to him. 

“Thank you, My Lady,” Chat murmured and she nodded, as Boomer cleared his throat. 

“As I was saying… I am Boomer and I have been sent to claim your miraculous,” Boomer called, bringing out another ball from his pocket. 

“Tell Hawkmoth, no thanks and try again, never!” Ladybug snapped, surprising even Chat with her tone. 

“My Lady?” Chat asked and Ladybug sighed. 

“It’s been a long day and this guy is giving me a headache,” Ladybug muttered, blushing a little as Boomer let out a barking laugh, his face outlined by Hakmoth’s purple mask. 

“Very well, Hawkmoth, as long as you are certain the miraculous will survive,” Boomer answered to no particular question that they could hear. Then he reached into his pouch and pulled a much larger bomb from it. 

“Split, I’ll distract,” Chat hissed and Ladybug nodded, as Chat took a few steps forward, dodging twisted metal as he did so. “How about we diffuse this situation and not let it explode in our faces.”

Boomer shook his head, already tossing the bomb in his hand, its outer shell changing colors. “Sorry, but I’m primed and ready. No snuffing the fuse out now hero. At least you will go out with a bang, though!” 

Chat threw himself forward a feral smile slipping onto his lips. “Pity you decided to be called Boomer. I kinda like the idea of Bomber Man!” 

Boomer snorted, the bomb leaving his hand for the final time as he chucked it at Chat. Chat didn’t slow, didn’t try to strike the bomb down, and mere feet from it Ladybug’s yoyo slung around it, before launching it high into the air. Before Boomer could reach into his pouch again Chat was on him, slashing at the pouch with one clawed hand as the other slammed into Boomer’s face. Boomer stumbled back as the bomb exploded high overhead, making Chat cringe at the noise, completely missing the pouch as he fought the instinct to cover his suddenly ringing ears. He was too close to the akuma and had missed in his attack but, with his head suddenly ringing from the concussive blast, Chat couldn’t dodge away easily either. The distraction of the explosion was all Boomer needed, and in one fluid movement he snatched something from his pouch, slamming it together right in front of Chat’s face. Sound instantly deafened him, light blinded him, and as Chat reeled away, Boomer grabbed Chat’s wrist, flinging him over his shoulder so that he smashed into a car upside down. 

Chat slumped to the ground in a crumpled heap, his legs falling over his head as he blinked away stars. His ears buzzed painfully and within his mind Plagg moaned.

“Not sure you’re gonna be able to walk this one off, kid,” Plagg murmured, and Chat was a little surprised he could still hear him with the way everything else was muffled. Rolling sideways, Chat cringed as hands grabbed his arm, hauling him to his feet. Everything spun unsteadily, but Chat could make out Ladybug’s face as she peered at him in concern. 

“Are you ok?” She mouthed and Chat realized his hearing was definitely messed up. Everything around them was a buzzing, garbled, mess. He could tell she was speaking because he could hear the tone but not make out the words. Her hand reached up, brushing the side of his jawbone, and when it came back shiny Chat realized his ears were bleeding. 

Chat smiled at her. “Hearing is messed up, but I am alright,” He lied and Plagg hissed at him, calling him seven kinds of stupid as he twirled his staff. 

It was obvious Ladybug didn’t believe him, but she stepped back, letting him take point, as she tossed her yoyo into the air, calling “Lucky Charm!” 

At least he assumed that’s what she called as light coalesced around the yoyo and one pair of industrial strength ear plugs fell from the sky to land in her hand. Chat knocked a bomb back at Boomer with his baton dropping back to her side. 

“Plan?” He asked, happy to note that his hearing was improving slightly but, even still, he had to read her lips in order to understand what Ladybug said. 

“Once I put these in I won’t be able to hear you properly, but that means his blasts won’t affect me either,” Ladybug began, then they both dodged as Boomer chucked a handful of round pellets at them. 

Smoke bloomed from them as they struck the ground, but before the smoke enveloped them fully, he made out “Cataclysm his pouch!” 

Chat coughed as he darted forward through the smoke, wishing he could hear properly since it would make finding Boomer and Ladybug far easier. A bright red ball struck the ground before him and Chat launched himself upward on his staff trying to escape the blast radius. He managed to, just barely, and the blast cleared the smoke even as it knocked his staff loose from its position. Chat twisted as he fell, actually managing to land on his feet, even as a flash of red caught his eyes. Ladybug moved from the smog, barreling towards Boomer, as he tried to throw her off his tail. The bombs he’d tossed had cleared the smoke further and Ladybug was deflecting everything he threw at her with her yoyo. Chat lunged in as well, refusing to let her go in alone, and slung his staff out as Boomer reached into his pouch once more. The staff slammed home making Boomer recoil, gripping his hands in agony, the bomb he was trying to fetch dropping to the ground. Ladybug’s yoyo slashed out, wrapping his arms to his body, and with a roar of frustration Boomer kicked the bomb at her. Ladybug took to the air the bomb passing under her harmlessly as she leapt over Boomer’s head, the bomb detonating a second later. Boomer’s eyes and head followed Ladybug as she practically flew over him, trailing the yoyo’s string that kept him bound. He didn’t even notice Chat until he yelled “Cataclysm” and, when he twisted in shock, Chat was already far too close, his hand slamming home into the pouch. 

“NO!!!” Boomer screamed, then the pouch detonated, sending all three people flying. 

Chat didn’t know what he slammed into as pain enveloped all of his senses, all he knew was that he desperately hated explosion based akumas. His consciousness slipped briefly, his world blinking out, then all at once hands shook him, as a voice called to him, trying to wake him back up. 

“Come on, Chat, please!” Ladybug cried, her voice sounding desperate. 

Chat opened his eyes rather blearily. “Hey, My Lady, did we short out his explosive plan?” 

“Oh, thank goodness,” Ladybug sighed, as she helped Chat into a sitting position. “Are you ok? You were right next to the blast. I mean, I know that miraculous cleanse fixes everything, but still…” 

Chat shrugged his shoulders, checked his arms, then legs, before slowly climbing to his feet. “Everything is attached and I feel fine, so no worries.” 

“Liar,” Plagg hissed and Chat ignored him, plastering a smile on his face as their miraculous beeped. 

“Are you ok, Ladybug?” Chat asked as Ladybug looked him over again.

“I’m fine. I wasn’t as close as you were to the blast and it knocked the akuma out so it was easy to put everything back,” Ladybug began, still looking quite concerned. The Miraculous beeped again and she sighed. “Go, get some rest, kitty. You got banged up pretty good this time.” 

With a small smile she held up her fist and with a grin of his own they said, “Pound It!” together, as their fists connected. 

Ladybug took off and Chat decided he ought to do the same, before his own miraculous wore off. Leaping to the rooftops he simply started moving, trying to get as far from the akuma site as he could. Dizziness swept through him as he cleared a gap and he careened into a chimney, grabbing hold of it before he went fully over the edge of the building. 

“Adrien, you need to sit and rest before you fall of the rooftops!” Plagg hissed at him and Chat nodded once. 

“I’m not going to make it home, am I?” Chat muttered, the dizziness worsening slightly. “Miraculous Cleanse fixes everything, why am I still dizzy?”

“You had internal damage. That’s going to take some time to repair even with magic. You need to rest and I don’t think you will make it home,” Plagg answered, as the ring on Chat’s finger beeped again. 

“Right…” Chat hissed, shook his now pounding head, then leaped to the next balcony over. His disorientation took its toll, however, and instead of landing on the railing, like he wanted, he slammed to a halt on his stomach. With a grunt Chat managed to pull himself over the rail, collapsing to the patio. “Ow!” He grunted, curling into a ball, as the world around him started to dim. “Can’t sleep here…” Chat whispered to himself as footsteps slapped the ground next to him. 

“Chat?!” they exclaimed as hands shook him, but Chat was too tired to respond, his head pounding violently. In the next moment, amongst the beeping of his miraculous, Chat lost consciousness. 

Chat hadn’t realized it, but Ladybug hadn’t gone anywhere when she had taken off. She had been concerned for her partner, since he had still seemed more than a little disoriented when he had said he was fine. So she watched him run off figuring she would wait until her second to last dot and if he was fine she would go home herself. However, it was obvious to her that Chat was not fine, even before he careened into the chimney. She was about to stop him, but he jumped before she could and misjudged the distance, slamming to a halt on the wrought iron railing of her balcony. 

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” Ladybug groaned, leaping after him as he pulled himself off the railing and into a ball on her small patio. 

She ran to him, hearing the words “Can’t, sleep... here…” escape from him, but his eyes were already closed. 

“Chat! Hey, Chat… Wake up!” Ladybug called, but he remained limp under her hands.  A spike of worry speared its way through her and swiftly she gathered him into her arm as their miraculous beeped again. 

“Stupid question but, Tiki, is he ok?” Ladybug demanded, as she dropped through her trap door and laid him on her bed. 

“He will be,” Tiki answered within her mind as Ladybug tossed a crochet blanket over his head and body, before hurriedly climbing down her ladder.  

Her miraculous beeped its final time and pink light filled the room as she caught Tiki. “What is wrong with Chat?” Marinette demanded, even as she reached into her purse to grab a cookie. 

Tiki took it from her and was about to respond when a flash of green light filled the room and a tiny kitten tumbled over the edge of Marinette’s bed. Reflexively Marinette caught the tiny creature and she was stunned to find herself looking into the very green eyes of Chat’s kwami. 

“Um…H-hi?” Marinette stammered, holding the two kwamis in surprise.

Plagg blinked at her then glanced at Tiki. “Do you have any cheese?” 

“Plagg! Introduce yourself before asking for things to eat!” Tiki scolded, smacking him with her cookie before opening her mouth impossibly wide and swallowing the rest of the cookie whole. 

With a grumble, Plagg turned his attention back to Marinette, who was still in a bit of shock at holding two kwami in her hands. “Hello, Marinette, I’m Plagg, Chat Noir’s kwami. I’m also starving. Do you have some of that cheese bread leftover still?”

Marinette dropped to her knees. “Um…Yes?” she answered. 

“Yippy!” Plagg crowed, shooting out of her cupped hands and swinging around in the air. 

Tiki rolled her little eyes and patted Marinette’s hand to get her attention. “If he is concerned about his stomach, then his chosen is fine. Regardless of how lazy Plagg may seem he always puts his kittens first.” 

“Right… I guess I should go get some cheese bread and cookies then,” Marinette said, climbing to her feet hesitantly. 

Tiki nodded, flying up out of her hands. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep him up here.” 

“Thanks, Tiki. I’ll be right back,” Marinette answered with a smile, already relaxing in the other kwami’s presence. She went downstairs to grab food for the kwamis and then, once they were settled, she ran to school to grab her backpack and schoolwork for the night. Her parents had been home when she had come tumbling down the stairs, saying Chat was in her room, sleeping, and asked them not to bother him. They were surprised at that news to say the least but had been more shocked since they hadn’t seen her come in the house. Immediately, she had blurted that Chat had brought her home, due to the akuma attack, and he was tired so she was letting him use her bed to rest up. Thankfully, her parents had bought the lie and her mom especially, had seemed concerned about his well being. They were going out on a date night and Marinette had practically thrown them out of the house, since her mom was concerned about the wayward cat in her room.

“He will be fine mom!” Marinette had finally cried as she hugged her for a final time. “He just needs some sleep and I promise to feed him something before he goes home. Now you guys go before you are late!” 

Her father had laughed, leading his fretting wife away down the street, and Marinette gave a sigh before heading up to her room, backpack in hand. As her trap door swung open, disaster greeted her in the shape of yarn strewn everywhere. Tiki was scolding a knotted ball that shivered and twitched, as Marinette dropped her bag in shock, flinching slightly as it tumbled back down the stairs. 

“What happened?!” Marinette cried lunging into the room nearly tripping over some yarn strung across the door’s edge. Plagg was at the center of the knotted ball, wriggling and purring even, though he appeared to be totally trapped. 

“I’m so sorry, Marinette!” Tiki squeaked. “He found one of your spare yarn balls and started playing with it! I couldn’t stop him and the next thing I knew, he was all tangled like this…” 

Tiki dropped from the air to land on the floor beside Plagg looking up at Marinette with her wide blue eyes. Marinette blinked, taking in her yarn covered room, the tiny kitten kwami tangled in the threads, and before she could stop it a bubble of laughter slipped from her lips. A moment later she gave up and let the laughter come out, unable to even think of being angry at the sight before her. 

“It’s ok, Tiki. He got into the cheap yarn anyways, but how in the world am I going to get him out?” Marinette snickered as she reached for the knotted bundle that covered Plagg. 

Relieved that her chosen wasn’t angry, Tiki floated up and prevented Marinette from touching Plagg in his purring tangled state. “He can get out of it himself. I’ll help you clean the rest of this up, though.”

Marinette giggled, but nodded and started to collect as well as untangle the yarn strew everywhere in her room. It took about 15 minutes to untangle everything, save for the knotted bundle Plagg sat in and in another five, Marinette had almost all of it rolled back up into a ball once more. 

“Alright, Plagg. You have had your fun. Marinette needs to do her homework and you can’t be left alone in all this or I am sure you will somehow make an even bigger mess,” Tiki scolded, as Marinette bent over to try and start untangling Plagg. 

Plagg hissed at them and Tiki let out a scolding buzz, before grabbing hold of him and force phasing him out of the center of the bundle. With Plagg out of the middle, the knot seemed to fall apart and it hardly took Marinette another two minutes before she held a single ball of yarn once more. 

“Tiki?” Marinette called and when she didn’t answer, she tossed the yarn into her basket before reclaiming her bag from the bottom of the stairs. After pulling out her homework, she forced herself to try and concentrate. It was extremely hard, especially when she could hear when Chat decided to roll over with a huff. After another few minutes of fruitless distraction, Marinette let out a groan and face planted on her homework. Chat was in her bed… in civilian form… his kwami knew who she was… and now she had no idea where said kwami had gotten off to. 

“Wow, I’m surprised you haven’t tried to peek yet,” Plaggs voice muttered from off to her left and Marinette let out a shriek, pushing away from the desk so fast the chair tipped over, causing her to hit the floor. 

“Plagg!” Tiki scolded. 

“What? It’s not my fault your bugget is so jumpy!” Plagg snapped back, as Marinette rolled off the floor, propping her hands on her desk as she stared at the kitten kwami.

“I’m not that jumpy…” Marinette complained. “You just surprised me, is all.”

Plagg rolled his green eyes. “Right… you know for a Lady… Yah!” Plagg yelped as suddenly Marinette’s hand darted forwards, smashing him to the desk. 

“Shhhh!!!!” She hissed, looking up towards the bed as a mumble was heard from the elevated sleeper.

Plagg nipped her finger and Marinette released him with a startled yelp, as Tiki swatted him from behind. 

“She started it!” Plagg hissed, then gave a small yelp as Marinette grabbed him in her hands once more. 

“You can’t tell Chat!” Marinette hissed, ignoring Plagg’s tiny, sharp, claws digging into her fingers. 

“Why not?! He adores you as Ladybug and as yourself, besides you’re a good cook and he needs a good home,” Plagg grumbled.

Marinette’s eyes went wide. “H-he doesn’t even know me!” she squeaked. 

Plagg rolled his eyes again. “I…” 

“Plagg?” A voice moaned from her bed and Marinette darted forwards, hiding under her bed in case Chat decided to lean over as Tiki vanished from sight as well.

“Plagg, where are you?” Chat questioned again. “Actually, where am I?” 

“Um… You’re kind of in my room,” Marinette managed, as she glared at Plagg, still in her hands. Finally, he sighed, then phased through them floating up to her ear. 

“Fine, I won’t tell, but you owe me cheese bread,” Plagg muttered. 

“As much as you’d like,” Marinette breathed as Chat yelped, “Marinette?”

Plagg’s face curved up into a Cheshire grin, then he darted upwards through the bed calling out, “Oh, good, you’re awake, finally. It’s a good thing you collapsed on Marinette’s balcony. You owe her big time.”  

Marinette face palmed having the strangest feeling that somehow she had made a mistake. “You don’t owe me anything, Chat! I just pulled you in and covered you up so you could sleep in peace. Your kitten has also been fed.” 

Chat nearly choked and she could hear him flop back down flat on her bed. “I am so very sorry for any inconvenience he has caused…” 

Marinette giggled and remembering what Plagg had said about a home, she decided to make him an offer.  “He wasn’t any trouble, other than getting himself tangled up in my yarn. I was hoping to cook some dinner and get my homework done, if you would like to join me though.” 

The bed shuddered as Chat jerked upright. “Really?!” he demanded, sounding eager, and Marinette felt her heart melt for her partner. 

“Yeah, really. I have physics homework and I stink at it. Maybe after we cook you can help me,” Marinette answered. 

“Deal! Plagg, Claws Out!” Chat called. 

A flash of green light filled her room and in the next second a black leather-clad boy landed right in front of her, making Marinette squeak and stumble back. Chat grinned a little guiltily at her as he stood from his crouch. 

“Sorry about that… And for passing out on your balcony… and for Plagg…” Chat began, one hand rising to scratch the back of his neck. 

With a gentle smile and a racing heart Marinette stepped forwards, placing two fingers across his lips, silencing him. 

“It’s ok, Chat. I’m glad I found you. I actually enjoy your company and all heroes deserve a break sometimes,” Marinette said, feeling amused as a light blush dusted her partner’s cheeks. 

Chats lips curved under her fingers and he took her hand, gently pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “You are too kind, Princess.” 

Marinette felt her cheeks heat up under his gaze. “R-right… well, um… we should probably start… getting started…” Suddenly, she sighed and taking back her hand, Marinette pressed it to her face. “Dinner first,” She managed, then walked past a grinning Chat who followed quite happily after her. 


	5. Wednesday

Adrien had made it back to his home very late or super early depending on how you looked at it. Marinette had fallen asleep hours ago and Adrien had as well, happily curled around her on her little couch. Plagg had finally managed to awaken him in time to return to his own home before the miraculous ran out. With Natalie and his father still away, no one noticed his activities as far as he could tell, since there were no messages from Natalie or his father other than the basic here is your schedule kind of thing. Wandering through the dining room on his way to the kitchen he stumbled across a plate of food long gone cold. Next to it was a note addressed to him. Ever curious Adrien opened the paper. 

“Young Master, I have seen that you have now missed several meals and realize that you have not returned home, although it is far later than what you should be out at. I have not alerted anyone yet, but this cannot continue. Please be present at breakfast tomorrow.”

Adrien winced, it would seem that someone had finally noticed his absence and of all people it was the cook. Throwing the food away in the kitchen Adrien dropped he plates into the sink and collected what he had come down for in the first place. Returning to his room with some cheese Adrien handed it over to his gluttonous kwami, then set his alarm for the next morning. Adrien forced himself to eat breakfast the next morning under the watchful gaze of the chef, then obediently allowed the gorilla to take him to school.

“I’ll be home for dinner. I already promised my friends that I would have lunch with them,” Adrien lied as he stepped from the confines of the car. The gorilla simply nodded and watched as Adrien walked up the front steps, before driving away. The stairs were unusually quiet this morning, something that set Adrien on edge immediately. Nino was also absent which usually meant that there was some kind of trouble about to go down, since Adrien knew he wasn’t late. Considering the silence of the area around him Adrien was more inclined to believe that trouble wasn’t far away. The only question now was whether this trouble required Chat Noir’s presence or not. His phone rang as he climbed the stairs and all he saw was the text 

“Clo gone loco. Help needed b4 things get ugly” _Nino

Adrien ran forward, his ears picking up the heated fight as he made it inside the courtyard. 

“Defending your new boyfriend, Marinette?” Chloe spat as she glared at Wes and Marinette, who was standing just behind him. It was obvious that Chloe had been picking on Wes again and Marinette decided to become involved. 

“He is not my boyfriend, Chloe,” Marinette snapped and Adrien felt a rush of warmth at her words, although Wes’s face crumpled. 

Seeing his face fall though, Chloe pounced, sensing his weakness. “What’s the matter, Wes? Marinette turn you down? You know she’s only defending you out of pity.” 

Wes’s face turned red. “I haven’t given her an opportunity to turn me down,” Wes ground out and Chloe snorted, waving a hand at him. 

“It’s probably a good thing. After all, you’re even more useless than her, and that’s saying something,” Chloe snarked and the crowd around them shifted uneasily as, suddenly, Wes seemed to snap. 

“Shut up, Chloe,” Wes hissed and Chloe managed to look surprised. 

“Excuse me? Who do you think you’re talking to?!” Chloe demanded.

Wes stood fully upright, the fury he was feeling practically palpable in the air. “I think I’m talking to a nobody,” Wes growled, cutting Chloe off and Adrien freeze in his tracks. “After all, you would be nothing if your father wasn’t the mayor.”

“Excuse ME?!” Chloe nearly shrieked, her hands forming into claws. 

Even Marinette looked a little surprised and Wes glared at her. He was chaffing from the not his girlfriend comment on Marinette’s part and it was Chloe’s fault. However he felt quite a bit of satisfaction seeing Chloe’s face contort in fury over his words. 

“You heard me,” Wes stated, somehow keeping his voice icily calm. “Everyone here knows you as the Mayor’s daughter or the spoiled brat. Nothing more. Plus, with the way you act, it will never be anything more. Sooner or later someone else will be voted into office and then you will be no one. So what will you do then, Chloe?”  

Chloe snarled taking a step forward and Marinette suddenly inserted herself between them, blocking Chloe from her target. Chloe’s hand rose, clearly ready to strike Marinette out of the way and Marinette half crouched, ready to block if necessary. At that moment Adrien decided to step in. He could see from the look on Marinette’s face that she was in no mood to be nice and having witnessed Marinette take down a man twice her size, Adrien knew Chloe didn’t stand a chance. Before Chloe’s hand could even start its descent Adrien stepped out into the line of fire and grabbed her by the wrist, snapping “That is enough, Chloe.”

Chloe whirled, yanking her hand from his grasp, fury in her eyes, but as soon as she saw his face a look of self-pity overcame her features.

“Adrikins, they are picking on me!” she sobbed, fake tears welling in her eyes as she burrowed her face against his shirt and throwing her arms around him. 

Adrien went stiff at the embrace and he glanced up to see a look of exasperation on Marinette’s face and disgust on Wes’s. Feeling rather annoyed himself, Adrien peeled Chloe off him, while trying to keep the annoyance off his own face. 

“You are lying Chloe, I heard everything,” Adrien stated. 

Chloe gasped, one hand fluttering to her mouth. “But, Adriekins, they were being so very rude and hurtful…” 

“Chloe. That is enough,” Adrien snapped, once more his patience at a sudden end. 

Chloe went silent and looked between him, Wes, and Marinette. “You’re going to defend them?” She demanded and Adrien took a step back, putting him almost at Marinette’s side. It felt right for him to stand there and for a moment he could even see himself taking her hand in his. 

“Yes,” Adrien answered simply, managing to ignore the sweet temptation of Marinette’s hand that was hanging so very close. 

Chloe practically had steam coming out of her ears. “FINE!” she screamed, then shoved her way out of the circle of people that had formed around them. 

The air went still as everyone watched Chloe storm off, then Nino whispered, “Dude…” breaking the silence. 

“Alright, people, nothing to see here, move along!” Alya called in the next second, breaking people up and even shoving at one or two others to get them moving. Once everyone scattered, Alya pounced on Marinette. “Girl what were you thinking? You looked ready to take Chloe apart!”

Marinette flushed a deep red as Adrien turned his attention to Wes. “Stupid question, but are you ok, Wes?” 

Wes’s head jerked up and he stared into Adrien’s green eyes, seeming to search them for something. Then all at once he sighed. “I’ll let you know in a minute,” he grumbled, so low that Adrien realized that he wasn’t actually meant to hear it. Reaching out, Wes tapped Marinette on the shoulder. “Marinette, may I talk to you for a second? In private?” 

Marinette looked confused, but she nodded, and Adrien felt that slight prick of jealousy start to bubble in his gut as Wes led Marinette off a few feet away. Normal people wouldn’t be able to over hear the words passing between them, but Adrien wasn’t normal, and he was totally focused on the sound of their voices. 

“Marinette, I wanted to thank you for helping me with Chloe,” Wes began and Adrien watched as Marinette raised a hand to stop him from continuing onwards. 

“Wes… I like someone else…” Marinette said, her voice ever so gentle. Her gaze flicking up to where Adrien stood. “Yesterday, you asked me out and I really am flattered but… I’m sorry.” 

Wes crumpled a little in on himself and Marinette reached out patting him on the arm. “I would like to remain friends, though. We all want to be your friend. Well… maybe not everyone… but Alya, Nino, and Adrien are certainly here for you.” 

Wes looked up at her and nodded once seeming to accept his status. “Do you mind still helping with the costumes? You really are very good at it.” 

Marinette smiled and nodded. “Sure, I’d love to!” She answered and suddenly Nino’s voice broke in, ruining Adrien’s concentration. 

“Dude, if you stair any harder at them they might actually catch fire,” Nino commented with a grin. 

Adrien felt himself blush. “I wasn’t staring, I was lost in thought… I mean… uh… Chloe seemed rather more upset than usual, huh?”

Alya snorted. “She used to get like this all the time before you started coming here, but usually Sabrina is here to curb the worst of her crappy attitude. These days you just don’t have to deal with it because you are her precious Adrikins.” 

Alya actually managed to get the pitch exactly right as she said Chloe’s disgusting pet name for him, and Adrien grimaced. 

“Please, for the love of the Ladyblog, don’t do that,” Adrien managed and Alya cackled as Marinette asked, “Do what?”

“Nothing!” Adrien yelped, before Alya could try her mimicry again. “Shouldn’t we be heading to class?”

As a group they decided they should in fact head to class and from there the day actually ran rather smoothly. Chloe was peacefully absent and everyone figured she must have gone home when she stormed off. Lunch finally rolled around and Marinette invited everyone to her house for the break since she could see Adrien had no lunch and he hadn’t mentioned returning home for the meal.

Wes was the only one to decline saying, “I actually wanted to finish something up with a mask I’ve been working on, since the club isn’t meeting tonight.”

Marinette smiled. “That’s ok. I actually have some stuff that I need to get done this afternoon, anyways.”

“Maybe tomorrow, with your help, we can finally get them done,” Wes sighed, then turned to Adrien. “Can I talk to you for a second, Adrien?” 

Adrien nodded, feeling a touch confused, but followed him as Marinette said, “We will wait for you by the school entrance, Adrien!” 

Adrien decided he liked hearing Marinette calling his name. She hadn’t even stuttered that last time! Wrenching his attention away from Marinette’s retreating back, Adrien looked up at Wes as they stopped and he turned to face him. “Everything ok, Wes?” Adrien asked. 

“For the most part, yeah. Chloe apparently has it out for me now, though,” Wes answered truthfully. “Listen, I wanted to ask you… Do you like Marinette?” 

Adrien’s heart stopped and suddenly he felt his cheeks flush. “S-she is a good friend, of course I l-like her!” 

Wes rolled his eyes at Adrien’s answer. “Obviously. Let me rephrase that. Do you want to date Marinette?”

Adrien’s jaw dropped and he wasn’t sure how he wanted to respond. Part of him wanted to snap it was none of Wes’s business while another part wanted to reverently deny it, after all, he loved Ladybug! Still, another piece of him wanted to crawl into a hole and never want to answer that question. In a way he sort of took the third way out. 

“S-she said she like someone!” Adrien said instead of giving an answer, feeling heat flush his cheeks. 

Wes facepalmed. “You’re kidding me, you cannot be that dense…”

Adrien blinked at him, not understanding. “What do you mean? Marinette has said before that she likes someone. I don’t know who it is.” 

Wes lifted his face from is hands as he let out a bark of laughter. “Wow… ok, so you are… Alright, Adrien, let me try again. Regardless of fact that Marinette likes someone, would you want to date her?” 

Adrien didn’t know where Wes’s question had come from and once more he felt his inner thoughts go to war as his emotions tumbled all over the place. Outwardly he remained calm and silent, taking on the appearance of deep thought, as he managed to say, “I’ve never thought about it.”

Wes sighed and patted Adrien on the shoulder. “Maybe, you should,” was all Wes said, and before Adrien could ask why, he turned and walked away. 

Wes snickered to himself as he made his way to the studio and let himself in. He was bummed that Marinette turned him down, and annoyed at Chloe’s attitude, but Adrien’s total obliviousness made up for it really. They would make a cute couple, Wes decided, and he wondered if Adrien would figure his own feelings out. Moving past one of the racks, he noticed some cloth on the floor and stooped to pick it up, only to freeze. The cloth was part of one of the costumes that was completed and hanging. Looking to the rack, Wes’ hands started to shake. The costumes were in shambles. They had been slashed apart and what looked like paint had been splashed on most of them. 

“Oh. You weren’t supposed to find this till later,” A snobby voice hissed. “I wanted to get your reaction on tape.”

Wes turned, already knowing who it was. “What in the hell have you done, Chloe?” He demanded, his voice dangerously soft. 

Chloe flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. “I am punishing you. You are already at the bottom of the social feeding pool and you need a good lesson as to why you should never mess with me. Everyone in your little club will know this came about because of you and I wouldn’t be surprised if you got kicked out. Not that it should matter, since I’m sure you were a horrible actor anyways.” From behind her back she pulled a torn apart mask. The very one he had come to finish and tossed it at his feet. “This should teach you to mind your own business and do as I say. Otherwise, I’m sure I could get you thrown out of school, if that’s what you would prefer.”

Wes remained silent, not trusting himself to speak and instead stared down at the destroyed mask. She had torn the colorful cloth from its pins leaving the mask white once more and the bottom part that was to cover the lower face was sheared off in jagged clumps leaving it reminiscent of a masquerade type mask. Taking his silence as acquiescence, Chloe sauntered past him and slipped out the door, slamming it closed. 

Wes dropped to his knees, lifting the torn mask into his hands, fury pounding through his blood. All his hard work, all Marinette’s and his club’s hard work was shredded at the hands of a vapid, stupid girl. Tears pooled in his eyes as he noticed the rich purple butterfly flutter towards him. As it landed on the mask, it vanished, and all at once a rich smooth voice echoed in his mind. 

“Hello, dear boy, I am Hawkmoth and I can feel your fury. What is it you desire?” Hawkmoth asked.

“I want to teach Chloe a lesson. She has gone too far this time,” Wes whispered, his voice choked up.

Hawkmoth chuckled. “Very well, then, Doppelganger. I shall help you and in return you must take Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s miraculous.” 

“Deal,” Doppelganger whispered and stood, placing the mask to his face and letting the darkness envelope him. 

A moment later the room stood empty and silent once more. 

… … … … … … … … … …

Adrien thought about Wes’s question for the rest of the day and was completely distracted as a result. He went to fencing classes and after having his butt handed to him by the teacher, Adrien forced himself to pay better attention. Dinner was boring and rather tasteless, but with the cook practically hovering over his shoulder Adrien didn’t have a choice in the matter. As always, the meal didn’t fill him up, and he was still hungry as he went to his room, flopping over his couch in exasperation. 

“What is wrong with me, Plagg?” Adrien griped. 

Plagg flew from his hiding spot to land on his knee. 

“Besides the fact that you are an idiot?” Plagg asked, burping.

Adrien shot his kwami a glare. “I am not! I’m just confused… I mean, I love Ladybug, but I think I’m starting to like Marinette! I mean, I could totally imagine her holding my hand and walking to class. Her cooking is the best and she is so warm and solid when she hugs me.” 

“Uh huh, too bad they’re not one and the same, huh?” Plagg said a wide toothed grin on his face. 

Suddenly, Adrien shot up, sending Plagg tumbling off his knee and, for a second, Plagg thought he may have made a mistake. 

“They aren’t the same…” He whispered looking lost in thought as Plagg flew up to hover before him. 

“What isn’t the same?” Plagg asked, too curious for his own good. 

“My… my feelings for Ladybug and Marinette…” Adrien answered, as realization washed through him. He did love Ladybug, in fact he idolized her, and that was part of the problem, besides the fact that Ladybug didn’t feel the same about him. Marinette on the other hand, he didn’t love her just yet, but a good chunk of his heart definitely felt something for her. She was sweet and kind and she seemed to like both sides of him. Marinette didn’t judge him and, with a touch of surprise, Adrien realized he wanted to go see her.

Seeming to read his mind Plagg sighed. “I want more cheese for this and if you fall asleep there, I won’t wake you up.”

Adrien took the warning to heart and after making sure no one would miss him if he left, Adrien changed into Chat, leaping to the rooftops. Chat found Marinette on her balcony, drawing in the light spilling from her room. 

“I didn’t know you had night vision, Princess,” Chat said as he slipped from the darkness. 

“Chat?!” Marinette yelped, jumping to her feet. 

Chat chuckled. “Sorry, princess, I didn’t mean to scare you.” 

Marinette shook her head. “No, it’s ok. I was hoping you would stop by. Have you eaten yet?” 

Chat’s mouth watered and his stomach growled, answering her question before his voice could. Marinette giggled. “I’ll take that as a no. Come on in then, and let’s get you something to eat.”

Her house was as warm as ever and her parents were welcoming, regardless of the fact he had come in through the window instead of the door. 

“I see what they say about feeding stray cats is true!” Tom chuckled, as Sabine elbowed him in the ribs. 

“Welcome back, Chat. Are you doing well today?” Sabine asked, moving to wrap him in a hug. 

Chat was ready for the hug this time and he returned it, feeling warm through to his very bones. Marinette smiled at the interaction as she got Chat a plate. Chat had seemed a little down lately and she was glad that she and her family could bring some cheer into his life. 

“Hey, Chat, after you eat, would you like to play some video games?” Marinette asked, putting the plate in the microwave to heat. 

Chat perked up, stepping away from her mom. “Sure!” 

Marinette ate some ice cream as Chat ate a real dinner, then the two of them retired to her room since her parents went to bed early. 

“Don’t stay up too late, Marinette. You have school in the morning and I’m assuming you do as well Chat?” Sabine asked. 

“I don’t have school till late tomorrow, actually,” Chat answered, remembering the early morning photo shoot his father had scheduled. 

“Even still, you kids need your rest. Bedtime is midnight at the latest, you hear me?” Sabine said, her hands resting on her hips and leaving nothing up for discussion. 

“Yes, mam,” Chat agreed, as Marinette snickered then said, “Night, Mama, Papa!” 

She pulled Chat up into her room and closed the door behind them, before turning on the computer. Handing Chat a controller, she sat down in her chair as he pulled up her futon’s stool. 

They played, laughing together for a few minutes, until Marinette finally found the courage to ask, “Chat, are you homeless?” 

Chat froze and his character on screen died to a comedic fanfare. “Homeless?” he asked turning to stare at her.

Marinette blushed. “It was something your Plagg said. I was just going to tell you that if you needed a place to stay, you can stay here.” 

“Plagg?” Chat muttered, then suddenly he sighed, running a clawed hand through his messy hair. “My… parents just are not around very much… it’s why I am around more than Ladybug. I just, sorta have more time to kill and no one waiting for me to come back. Thank you, for the offer, but I really do have a quiet, empty, house to go back to Marinette.” 

Marinette watched his face as he said this and her heart wanted to break for him. He described his home as quiet and empty. Actually he hadn’t even called it home, Chat had simply said house. Biting her lip, Marinette reached out to him. 

“If you ever want a place to come home to… just let me know, ok?” Marinette asked and Chat smiled at her, before wrapping her in a tight hug. 

“Thank you, Marinette,” Chat managed, taking a deep breath in an attempt to work past the lump of emotions swirling through him. Her scent flooded his nose and something about it seemed familiar, but he was distracted by Plagg hissing in the back of his mind. 

“Something is nearby, Adrien,” Plagg hissed, not wanting to break up his kitten’s happy moment, but needing to. He sensed something nearby and he wasn’t sure what it was. 

Knowing Plagg wouldn’t interrupt unless it was absolutely necessary, Chat patted Marinette gently on her back before pulling away. “Thank you, again, Princess. I’ll figure out a way to repay you for your kindness somehow.”

Marinette smiled at him. “Just believe in yourself, Chat. That is more than enough for me.” 

Chat gaped at her, even as his cheeks flushed. “R-right… Well, I need to head out, Princess. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Marinette nodded. “If you want to drop by, I don’t mind,” Then waved to him as he climbed out her window. 

Jumping a few building over Chat paused. “Ok, Plagg, what did you sense?” 

“It almost felt like an akuma, but I’m not sure, Adrien. All I know is that, what ever it was, it’s moved off,” Plagg answered 

“Should I call Ladybug?” Chat asked, checking the time.

“If you want,” Plagg responded. “I can’t sense the thing anymore and since there doesn’t seem to be any trouble, I’d suggest going home and getting some sleep.”

Chat nodded. “I’ll swing across the city real quick to see if we can pick anything up. If we don’t, then I’ll go home.” 

“Whatever you want, kid,” Plagg said, as Chat leapt across the rooftops once more.


	6. Thursday

Marinette was worried. Wes hadn’t been to school since yesterday before lunch and, because he was a new student, no one seemed to have his number.

“Do you think he is sick or something?” Marinette asked Alya, as they sat down for class. It was almost second period now and everyone was slowly filtering in.

“I don’t know girl, maybe he needed a break from miss witch over there,” Alya sighed, as Chloe went to sit in her seat, complaining at the top of her lungs about how she was being blamed for something at home she didn’t do. 

In other words, Chloe was in one of her moods. 

“When is Sabrina coming back?” Marinette groaned, and Alya patted her back, gently with a smile.

“Maybe tomorrow,” Alya answered.

Class began and Chloe finally shut up after the teacher threatened to throw her out of class. To everyone’s surprise, she didn’t threaten to call her father, instead she just crossed her arms and sulked.

“Ohh, trouble in paradise?” Alya snickered, and Marinette shrugged. 

Chloe’s behavior was odd, but not totally out of place, since whenever she didn’t get her way, this is how she acted anyways. About halfway through class, a page came from the front office calling for Chloe. She stood with a huff saying, “It’s about time my papa came and apologized.”

It wasn’t much of a shock when she didn’t return, since the Mayor would often take his ‘sweet darling’ out when ever they made up after a fight. What was surprising was when Adrien walked in, bag over one shoulder, near the end of class. 

“Mr Agreste, I thought you were missing my class today,” Their teacher asked. 

Adrien nodded as he sat down. “I was supposed to, Ma’am, but I was released early and I didn’t want to miss anything more than I had to,” He flashed a smile at her and their teacher nodded, satisfied with his answer. She gave him the work he was supposed to have missed, then went back to teaching, as Nino coached him on how to fill in the worksheets. Everything was peaceful, normal, and yet Marinette felt horribly on edge for some reason. 

“Are you excited that Adrien is here Marinette? Looks like you can invite him out to lunch after all,”  Alya whispered. 

Marinette smiled at her friend, but something wasn’t right. When Adrien usually walked in he greeted everyone, even if it was in the middle of class. He was always polite and when he sat down, he usually waved at Marinette or at least smiled at her. Adrien seemed a little tired to her, so maybe he just wasn’t feeling up to the day? The rest of the period passed fairly quick and as the bell rang, Adrien turned to flash a smile up at them. 

“Sorry I didn’t say hello to you guys when I first came in. I was a little out of it since I’ve been up since dawn,” Adrien said. 

Marinette smiled back at him as Alya answered for them both, but internally she was freaking out a little bit. Usually when he smiled like that at her she felt all warm and fluttery. Marinette felt nothing, absolutely nothing, and she could feel Tiki nudging her from her purse. 

Adrien blinked at her, clearly surprised she hadn’t said anything to him. “Marinette are you ok?” He asked, reaching up to pat her hand. 

His hand was clammy, cool, and while it wasn’t actually slimy, the impression it left on her mind was. Marinette jerked away from the contact. 

“I-I’m fine!” She squeaked out of surprise, rather than her usual flustered, crush nervousness. “I just… need… um…. bathroom break!” 

Before Adrien could say anything else, she had her bag in hand and fled the classroom. She actually went to the bathroom and the moment she was alone, Tiki flew from her purse, surprising her. 

“Tiki, are you ok?” Marinette asked, as her kwami zipped around her for a brief second. 

Tiki nodded, returning to hover before her chosen, looking a little perplexed. “I thought I sensed an akuma, but I must have been mistaken, because I don’t now.”

Marinette blinked a little taken aback. “You can sense akuma?” 

Tiki nodded. “Plagg and I both can, although Plagg is much better at it. It’s too bad he isn’t here to give his opinion.”

Marinette pulled out her phone and went to the Ladyblog to see if any sirens had been tripped. There was nothing and Marinette sighed. “Should we transform and take a look around?”

Tiki shook her head. “No, I will let you know if I sense anything more. You should get moving before you are late to class, though.” With that said, Tiki dove back into her purse and Marinette ran so she would make it to class on time. 

The bell rang as Marinette made it in the door and she was surprised to see people still up out of their seats. Marinette went to hers, to set her things down, and as she did someone tapped her shoulder. Once again Marinette had the strangest sensation of something slimy and she spun, heart pounding, only to find Adrien staring at her with a look of concern.

“Are you ok, Marinette?” Adrien asked.

Marinette didn’t trust herself to speak and simply nodded. 

“Well, the teacher is giving us a free period. Would you like to hang out and talk maybe?” Adrien asked, blushing slightly as he looked into her eyes. 

His eyes seemed dull, the vibrant green she was used to seeming almost watered down, and Marinette frowned as a cold feeling seemed to seep into her chest. Something was wrong, wrong with him or her Marinette wasn’t sure, but then Marinette felt Tiki nudging her from her purse once more. 

“I actually have some work that I need to get done,” Marinette lied. 

Adrien frowned, but nodded. “That’s ok, Marinette, I guess we can catch up at lunch.” 

Marinette forced herself to smile and nod, but once more his actions seemed the slightest bit off. Adrien never assumed he would eat with her at lunch, at least, never that she ever witnessed. Adrien always waited until invited by one of them, before talking about lunch plans, even though Nino, Marinette, and Alya had told him time and again he was always welcome. Marinette pulled out her work and sat down as Adrien walked away to see what some of his classmates were doing. Lifting her purse into her lap Marinette cracked the purse open to stare down at Tiki. 

“There is an akuma and it’s close,” Tiki mouthed and Marinette nodded. 

She didn’t know how or why but Marinette knew where the akuma was, Tiki had merely confirmed it. The day had finally come when Adrien had become an Akuma. Slowly, Marinette stood, she would have to get out of class and transform, then come back to take care of Adrien. Walking to the door, Marinette was only about three steps away when it suddenly burst open revealing a panting Adrien. Marinette gaped at him as Adrien gazed up at her, his bright green eyes holding worry, then relief as he saw her. 

Marinette overcame her shock first, the warm fluttery feeling she always got at seeing him surging through her, and in the next moment she threw her arms around him. He was warm and solid and the butterflies in her core took flight as she whispered, “Thank goodness, it’s you.” 

Adrien took the impromptu hug in stride, wrapping his arms around her in return taking a deep breath as he did so. “Marinette are you ok? I thought you knew I had an early shoot this morning.”

“I knew, but then you showed up and you felt so wrong, I thought I was going nuts, ‘cos no one seemed to notice,” Marinette whispered, her relief at seeing him and realizing he hadn’t become an akuma outshining the fact that she was hugging him. Instead, she hugged him a little tighter knowing that in the next few minutes everything would be going to hell in a handbasket. Although he didn’t really want to, Adrien pulled back a little to look Marinette in the eye, feeling a tad confused.

“I showed up?” He asked and Marinette paled, as the other students seemed to finally notice what was going on by the door. 

“Wait, does Adrien have a twin?” Someone asked stupidly and Marinette turned, breaking her hold on the real Adrien to see what the fake would do. 

The fake stood blinking and had the gall to look concerned. “Marinette, get away from that Doppelganger before you get hurt!” He stepped forward, moving away from the other students, and Marinette took a step forward, even as Adrien grabbed her hand, shaking his head, the look in his eyes showing alarm and concern for her. Marinette felt a blush light up her cheeks at the contact, but she managed a smile, squeezing his hand as the fake came closer. To her surprise, Adrien released her hand, trusting whatever idea she had. It made Marinette feel warm and fluttery all the way to her toes and she clenched her fist, rehearsing the exact moves she was about to take in her mind. 

“Thank goodness Alya doesn’t have this class with me,” Marinette muttered under her breath as she came within striking range. 

Doppelganger reached for her, saying something about the fake Adrien and akumas as the rest of her classmates started to panic, but Marinette wasn’t listening. As his hand descended, probably to push her on towards her other classmates, Marinette made her move. Sliding to the side under his hand, Marinette spun, putting all her bodyweight behind the punch that slammed into Doppelganger’s jaw. The funny thing was, Marinette had forgotten about the extra strength being Ladybug lent her, and because she didn’t hold back whatsoever, the punch literally sent Doppelganger flying, to crash over the teacher’s desk. The spell on his appearance was instantly broken as he slammed to a stop, revealing a boy in a dark colored bodysuit that shimmered, like oil does on water, and a masquerade style, vibrant purple mask. 

“Oh no, Wes…” Adrien murmured behind her as the akumatized Wes gaped at Marinette.

“Run!” Marinette snapped, spinning round and running at Adrien, as panic ensued. An annoyed shout echoed behind them, as Marinette shoved Adrien back out the door and grabbed his hand. Dragging him behind her, Adrien managed to just barely keep up until, at last, he found his balance. 

“You just punched an akuma?!” Adrien yelped, as Marinette dragged him down a hallway and into the library. 

Marinette blushed as they came to a halt behind several shelves. “H-he’s been giving me the willies all day… and I had to do something! B-besides, what was I supposed to do?” 

Adrien shook his head, watching as she double checked their surroundings, and started to laugh. “I don’t know, but dang, Marinette, you have one hell of a punch!” 

Marinette blushed even more fiercely, and all at once her crushing stutter came back. “I… my…. I-I mean… I’ll get help…” 

She stood, and before Adrien could try to stop her, she was already running for the door that was at the opposite end of the room. The library was surprisingly empty and as soon as the doors shut, Adrien darted back behind a different set of shelves that you couldn’t see from any of the doors. Lifting his shirt a little Adrien stared into his kwami’s eyes. 

“When you finally start dating her, do us both a favor and never make her mad, ok kid?” Plagg asked and watched as his kitten turned bright red. 

“This isn’t the time for that Plagg!” Adrien hissed. “Cl-“

“OH, ADRIKINS!” Chloe’s voice rang out and before Adrien could move she suddenly appeared around the side of one of the shelves. “I thought I saw that awful Marinette dragging you in here! It looked as if she were taking you hostage!” 

Chloe practically pounced on him grabbing one arm and hugging him to her. “I knew you would need saving, but I don’t see her?” 

Adrien gently disentangled himself from Chloe’s grip, when suddenly the school’s siren came to life, making them both jump. As they did, Adrien felt a strange coolness pass over his hands and for the briefest of seconds Chloe’s form flickered. 

Adrien recoiled. “You’re not Chloe.” 

Doppelganger sniffed and darkness coated him, returning to his proper shape. “I suppose I’ll have to work on that. Girl’s forms are a bit more challenging. Your form, however, isn’t at all.”

Darkness spread over him and a second later Adrien stared at his likeness.

“Why are you doing this?” Adrien asked, as his ears picked up a door bursting open.

Doppelganger pursed his lips. “Revenge, mostly, but not on you or anything, you just weren’t supposed to be here today…” Darkness flickered around his fingertips and Adrien took a step back, feeling more than a little trapped. 

“Adrien!” Ladybug cried, as she skidded to a halt before the two boys. 

“He is the fake!” they both yelled at the same time pointing at the other boy. 

Ladybug blinked, looked confused for a brief second, then moved forward, a determined slightly pissed look on her face that gave Adrien goosebumps. “What is it with akuma and mimicking other people! Doesn’t Hawkmoth have anything better to do, besides driving me crazy?”

Doppelganger took a step back next to Adrien, mimicking Adrien’s worried look. 

“Ladybug, are you ok?” Doppelganger asked, as Adrien shied away slightly from both of them. He had never seen THAT look on Ladybugs face before. 

Ladybug smiled and reached a hand out to him. “I’m fine, Adrien, let’s get you out of here while the akuma is still calm.” 

Doppelganger placed his hand in hers with a smirk and Ladybug jerked him forward, twisting her body, so that he tripped and slammed into the ground managing to pin Doppelganger’s arm behind his back. 

“Run, Adrien!” Ladybug yelled, and Adrien did as he was told, promptly sprinting around the shelves and disappearing from sight. 

“I must not be doing something right,” Doppelganger muttered from under her and Ladybug looked down, a bit surprised, then yelped as darkness swarmed up her arms. Ladybug leapt back, feeling the tug, as the darkness turned solid a second too late to keep hold of her. Doppelganger stood, brushing himself off, as Ladybug readied her yoyo. 

“Well, then… Introductions. I am Doppelganger and since I have succeeded in my revenge so far, I suppose it’s time to hold up on my side of the bargain,” Doppelganger said with a flourishing bow. 

“What have you done?” Ladybug snapped, throwing her yoyo.

Darkness swarmed around him, blocking the yoyo, and Doppelganger leapt back, more darkness forming under his feet, so that he stood midair, just above the bookshelves, grinning down at her. 

“Nothing too fancy, but dear little Chloe is finally getting what she deserves. Now, all that is left is collecting your miraculous and having some fun with my new powers,” Doppelganger answered.

The darkness swarmed around him, shooting ribbons at Ladybug, and she spun her yoyo, blocking several of them. The darkness pulled back and Ladybug took a few steps back as well, realizing that within the confines of the bookshelves her options were limited. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt anyone, in fact if you give up, I won’t even hurt you!” Doppelganger said reasonably. 

Ladybug growled. “No thanks, but I will so enjoy punching your lights out.” 

She swung out her yoyo, trying to knock Doppelganger off his perch, and instead had to dodge black spears that tried to impale her. Books rained down as the spears missed and Ladybug yelped as one lucky shot got through, slashing a gash across her upper arm, near her shoulder. A snarl shattered the air and suddenly Doppelganger cried out as Chat slammed into him from the side.

“Chat!” Ladybug yelled, as they vanished over the top of the next bookshelf over. Leaping into the air, Ladybug swung herself over the shelf as Chat launched himself at Doppelganger. Doppelganger retaliated, wrapping the darkness around his form as Chat’s slashed at him. Ladybug threw her yoyo, as the darkness repelled Chat, dropping for the briefest of instances. The yoyo cracked into his shoulder, her aim being thrown off by not being able to see his body. Stumbling back, Doppelganger gripped his arm, looking between the two heroes. Ladybug dropped down to the ground next to Chat and helped him back to his feet. 

“This is going to require more thought,” Doppelganger said and, before Chat or Ladybug could make a move, he turned and fled. 

“Damn,”  Ladybug hissed as the doors closed, knowing the moment Doppelganger stepped outside he was already in another guise and would be practically impossible to find. 

“Sorry, My Lady. I thought I had him.” Chat murmured from the ground, even as he accepted her hand to help him to his feet. 

“It’s ok, Chat, I thought I had him too. I figured changing shape was the only thing he could do, but apparently his darkness allows him to change shape and fight offensively,” Ladybug answered. “We should probably start the search for him. I don’t think classes will be resuming anytime soon.” 

Chat glanced up at her. “Do you go here, My Lady?” he asked and Ladybug blinked, then realized what she had said. “OH! Oh… no, I was, um… walking nearby for my lunch and I heard the sirens, but then I ran into a girl who said Doppelganger was in here and the boy Adrien was here… I just mean we won’t have to worry about their safety here is all… because classes probably won’t resume!” 

Chat nodded, accepting her logic, then sighed, bummed that he wouldn’t be able to take Marinette out to lunch, since that had been his plan. “I agree, Ladybug. Lead the way, so we can catch this shifty akuma.”

Ladybug groaned and Chat snickered, following her as she raced out the library doors. 

They had searched for hours but, for an akuma, Doppelganger was being strangely quiet. They had split up, each taking one side of the city, but hadn’t had any luck. When they met up again, Chat noticed Ladybug’s bleeding arm and was furious that she hadn’t said anything to him. Her protests of “It’s just a scratch!” fell on deaf ears and he sent her home until patrol later that night.  Chat knew better than to try and talk her out of that one, his ears were still ringing from her first scolding. Chat had just finished letting Plagg take a break and re-transformed, when his own stomach growled at him. 

“Adrien, you need to eat something, especially since you didn’t eat anything for breakfast because of that shoot,” Plagg growled in the back of his mind.

“I’m ok, Plagg,” Chat answered as he scanned the street, wondering how he could possibly spot an akuma who could literally hide in plain sight as anyone. His stomach growled again and Plagg huffed.

“I think your gut disagrees. Besides, you won’t be of any use to Ladybug if you run yourself into the ground.” 

Chat froze, then sighed as he realized his kwami was right. The only problem was where did he want to eat? As he thought about it a small figure a block away caught his attention. 

“Marinette?” Chat wondered aloud, realizing she was out on her balcony watering her plants. 

“Great idea! Grab me some cheese bread!” Plagg said excitedly. 

Chat darted forward over the rooftops, only stopping when he was on the rooftop just in front of her. Marinette glanced up and spotted him, startling slightly, as he waved. 

“Chat? Everything ok? Any luck fighting the akuma?” She called, then squeaked as he launched himself across the gap and landed on her railing. 

“The akuma got away, but Ladybug and I are doing our best to find him,” Chat answered and then his stomach growled for the third time, this time at such a volume that Marinette not only heard but burst out laughing. 

“I’m guessing you came all this way for lunch?” Marinette asked. 

Chat grinned, feeling a little sheepish. “Only if you’re offering, Princess!” 

“Come in, you silly kitty. I’m assuming you are probably going to be running around all night tonight, as well?” Marinette asked, dropping through her trap door onto her bed. 

Chat followed, closing the hatch behind him, and jumped to her floor below, watching bemused as she slowly climbed down her ladder. As she did, the sleeves of her shirt slipped up and his eyes narrowed as he saw a bandage covering up her arm, near her shoulder. 

“Princess, you’re hurt!” he cried, coming forward and seeing the blood already starting to come through the hastily made bandage. 

Marinette blinked at him in alarm as she dropped the rest of the way to the floor. 

“I-it’s nothing, Chat. I just scratched myself and it was too big for a Band-Aid!” Marinette squeaked, as she swiftly pulled her sleeve down. Chat frowned at her. It didn’t seem like nothing to him, but for some reason she wanted to act like it was. 

“Come on, let’s get you something to eat,” Marinette said, slipping on her jacket, as she went to the stairs of her room. Seeing no other choice, Chat followed, making a mental note to keep an eye on her arm. 

Lunch was amazing and after he was done, and said hello to her parents, Chat actually managed to talk Marinette into letting him take a look at her arm. It really was more than just a scratch, but Marinette insisted she got it by falling against one of the lockers at school when she was running to get help. Chat felt guilty about that, but after he smeared antibiotic ointment on it and wrapped it properly he felt the slightest bit better about the whole situation. He did, however, warn Marinette that he probably wouldn’t stop by that night, since he and Ladybug were going to be patrolling. Marinette had nodded, saying that she had some work to catch up on anyways and wished him luck as he climbed back out her window. 

“Do you think we will have any luck finding this akuma tonight?” Chat asked heading towards his own home to take a nap so he could patrol later that night. 

Plagg sighed. “This akuma seems to be of the quiet variety, so probably not. Like you learned today, I can sense them when we are close, which was lucky since it prepared you today, when you burst into the classroom. However, like I said, we have to be close, so basically we will be playing a game of hot vs cold if it doesn’t just come at us head on.” 

Chat sighed as well before dropping into a side street and de-transforming, so he could walk the rest of the way home. Gently he caught Plagg and put him in his pocket. 

“It’s going to be a long night, huh, Plagg?” Adrien murmured.

“Yeah, it probably will, so get some rest, kid,” Plagg answered and together they made their way to Adrien’s room where, after Adrien set an alarm on his phone, they both fell into a deep sleep. 


	7. Friday

Adrien was exhausted when his alarm beeped for the first time in the morning. Last night, when he had gone out on patrol, they spent hours figuring out what Doppelganger had been up to since becoming an akuma. Most akuma once transformed caused a big mess, drawing the superheroes’ attention immediately. Doppelganger was not only a very quiet akuma, but he was also a smart one. Not knowing where to begin, they started with where Wes had last been and discovered the costumes. 

“Well, now we know why he turned into an akuma,” Ladybug growled, as she took in the damage done.

Chat sighed. “Yeah and I’ll give you one guess as to who did all this.”

“Chloe,” Ladybug answered. “Our number one akuma maker. You don’t think Hawkmoth has hired her or something, do you?”

Chat snickered. “He probably could. The girl makes more akuma than anything else in the city, I think.”

Together they went to Chloe’s house and found, to their surprise, that she was on lockdown. Apparently, a video of her destroying the costumes had surfaced and she had been suspended till Monday. The heroes were shocked, but apparently Chloe had been causing all kinds of mischief and havoc all through the hotel and her father for once had finally put his foot down. While they were both glad Chloe was finally getting what she deserved, even if it was through an akuma’s interference, they couldn’t help but think Doppelganger wasn’t through with her quite yet. Now that they knew their kwami could sense an akuma’s presence, they had split up, searching the area in hopes of possibly finding Doppelganger. They hadn’t had any luck and around three in the morning, when all was still quiet, Ladybug had called it quits. They both still had school the next day and as they parted ways, Chat could hear Ladybug complaining about forgotten homework. It reminded him of an assignment he had yet to do as well and with a groan Chat returned to his home, staying up an extra half hour to get the paper done so he could turn it in on time. When he finally collapsed into bed, Adrien made sure to set an extra alarm in case he didn’t wake up to the first one. With all the late nights and missing out on meals, the last thing Adrien wanted was to accidentally sleep in and miss school. It would send up red flags all over and Adrien couldn’t afford to be better watched at this point. 

The first alarm beeped impatiently at him and Adrien groaned, slapping it off before covering himself up, then burrowing his head back into his pillow. He didn’t want to get up, didn’t want to move, and suddenly tiny teeth encircled his finger, making him jolt upright.

“What the hell?” Adrien snarled, as Plagg dove under the blankets. Green eyes peered back at him from his hiding spot, looking wide and worried. 

“Akuma…” Plagg hissed, his tiny voice barely audible even to Adrien’s ears. 

Adrien’s second alarm went off and he twisted round, hitting his phone for the second time, then yawned as he searched his room while pretending to stretch. He saw nothing, to his confusion, and not knowing what else to do, he climbed out of bed before heading into his closet. Usually he liked to take a shower in the evenings, to get any makeup from shoots or dirt from running around as Chat Noir off him before bed. This morning he had planned to take one to help wake him up, but now it would seem that someone had other plans. Going into his closet, Adrien swiftly changed, then pulled out his extra fencing foil. He couldn’t transform into Chat, since it would be giving away his identity, that is, if his identity wasn’t already compromised. Nibbling on a lip, Adrien decided he wouldn’t take a chance and he pulled his miraculous off, slipping it into a sock and hiding it in a tiny cubby hole that no one in the house knew about. Feeling completely unprepared, Adrien walked back out into his room, fencing foil in hand, and froze when he spied Doppelganger standing by his bedroom door. 

Adrien brought the foil up into a guarding position. “What do you want?”

Doppelganger looked him over, somewhat surprised at the weapon. “So you did notice me,” he murmured, carefully taking in every detail of Adrien’s posture, clothes, and even the way he seemed confident holding the sword in his hand. “Sorry, Adrien, it’s nothing personal, but you are the best way to finish my revenge and there can’t be two Adriens running around.” 

Adrien let out a growl. “So, what, you’re going to pretend to be me for the day?!” 

Doppelganger grinned. “Yes, actually.”

“Forget it!” Adrien snapped and charged at Doppelganger, fencing foil at the ready. Doppelganger’s eyes widened in surprise and black spikes jutted out at Adrien, forcing him to dodge and parry before getting in close. 

“What is it with you and Marinette attacking me? Everyone else that has laid eyes on me runs away screaming, but you guys seem quite content to throw yourselves in the middle of danger!” Doppelganger cried, ramping up his attacks, since Adrien was scarily competent with the foil in his hand. 

Adrien dodged a black bar that extended from the darkness and then slashed at another, turning the blow away from hitting his body. A third wisp jutted out, grabbing the blade of the foil before he could retreat. Unable to pull it free, Adrien was forced to let it go before the darkness could grab hold of him too. A wisp of darkness slashed at him and, now that he was unarmed, Adrien dodged rolling across his floor, managing to come up to his feet just a few short steps from Doppelganger’s position. Launching himself from his crouched position, Adrien leaped at Doppelganger, landing a solid punch when Doppelganger moved too slow to avoid him. Stumbling a step from the blow, Doppelganger’s back hit the wall.

“Maybe it’s because we have people we want to protect and your presence threatens their safety!” Adrien snarled, not seeing the darkness pooling at his feet until it was too late. The darkness wrapped around his ankles and in the next second he was tossed sideways, slamming hard into the side of his bed, before being crushed to the floor.

Adrien’s head spun at the double impacts. He was used to taking hits as Chat Noir, but this was different and he didn’t have Plagg protecting him from the harsh contact. With a groan, refusing to lose consciousness, Adrien tried to push himself up, but the darkness wrapped around him again, trapping him where he lay. Doppelganger moved to his side, crouching down while looking fairly concerned as he reached out to him. 

“Jerk,” Adrien grunted, snapping his teeth at Doppelganger’s hand, before a gag fitted itself over his mouth. Doppelganger grinned at him looking relieved. The darkness lifted Adrien from the floor and to his surprise moved him into his closet. Adrien twisted in the dark bonds that held him, still a bit dizzy, as Doppelganger stood in the doorway looking down at him.

“Don’t worry, Adrien. I won’t hurt anyone while being you, although I might get you a date with Marinette, since you are being so generous in letting me use your form. She has a huge crush on you, ya know,” Doppelganger chuckled. 

Adrien’s eyes went wide as he yelled, “What?!” but it came out as a muffed grunt through the gag. Adrien thrashed within the bonds his feet kicking into the wall making a loud thump and Doppelganger sighed his hand rising so the shadows reached out and pinned Adrien more securely to his closet floor. After all, he didn’t want Adrien to keep kicking the walls to alert someone or doing anything else foolish, like attacking him again. 

“Apparently you didn’t realize that. Not that it matters, but since you don’t seem to want to stay quiet, I guess I’ll have to force you,” Doppelganger murmured, as he moved into the closet. Adrien felt the darkness move across his face, covering his nose and realized that he could no longer breathe. Unable to even thrash with the darkness holding him down, Adrien pinned his most heated, furious glare on Doppelganger, until he finally lost consciousness.

Marinette was still exhausted when she woke up but, knowing that she couldn’t miss class, she somehow managed to haul herself out of bed and to school. To her surprise, Adrien wasn’t there, even though she walked in only a few minutes before the late bell sounded. 

“Is Adrien not coming today?” Marinette asked her friends. 

Nino shrugged. “I don’t know. He isn’t answering his phone and I know he didn’t have anything planned.”

Marinette frowned, but got her materials out for class as their teacher arrived and set up their things on the desk. The late bell finally began to ring and Adrien slid in the door as the bell finished its chime, looking so out of character that their teacher simply stared. 

“Made it,” Adrien said with a grin, then suddenly realizing all eyes were on him. Adrien straightened smartly and gave a quick polite bow in the teacher’s direction. 

"I'm sorry for bursting in. I was awakened late this morning," He managed a blush creeping up the back of his neck. The teacher excused him, still a little taken aback by his sudden entrance, and Adrien moved to his seat, greeting everyone with a wave like he usually did when late. 

Marinette stared at his hand feeling odd. He was missing his ring that he always wore and something about his outfit just seemed odd to her. It wasn’t just his appearance that had her internal alarms going off either. Usually she felt light and fluttery just looking at him and today there was nothing. He was handsome, that certainly hadn't changed, but as he sat before her, shooting her a grin that usually made her heart flutter and mind melt, she realized that there was something off about it, something… wrong. Yesterday she had felt that same wrongness and it had been the akuma Doppelganger. The thought chilled her to the bone and slowly she pulled out her phone typing a message to Nino. After a moment, when the teacher turned their back, he glanced down then leaned over to whisper something to Adrien. Adrien shrugged looking a little sheepish and a moment later a text came through. 

‘He forgot his phone in the rush out the door. ~ Nino’

Marinette let the phone slip back into her lap then felt the tiniest of nudges form her purse. Glancing to the side, she opened her purse, mindful of the fact that she was in the middle of class. Tiki gazed up at her, the kwami’s wide blue eyes shimmering with worry. 

“Akuma,” Tiki mouthed, and the cold chill was back as Marinette realized that the boy in front of her was not Adrien.

Why was Doppelganger back? And better yet where was Adrien? Marinette knew that she was the only one who knew and since she was Ladybug she had to get him away from everyone. Class passed at an agonizingly slow pace and she was practically jumping from her chair as the bell rang. Alya shot her a confused look as she darted from the room, but Marinette didn’t have time to explain. She had to stop Adrien, no, Doppelganger from entering his next class. She didn’t know why he was at the school pretending to be Adrien, but it didn’t matter. For a long moment she played with the idea of transforming into Ladybug and sweeping Doppelganger up, but it was never a good idea to let an akuma get into your personal space. That, and she really didn’t want to start a huge akuma battle in the middle of school. There was a high chance of someone getting hurt and Marinette hoped that, if she ousted him in private, he would maybe leave. 

Coming to a decision, Marinette waited until Doppelganger was almost to the class before pouncing on him. "A-Adrien?" she called, causing him to turn towards her, a curious look lighting up his face. 

"Yes, Marinette?" he answered. 

"Can I talk to you for a minute? In private?" she asked, a trickle of nervousness running through her. If he didn’t accept she would have to think of something quick. 

Walking back to where she stood, he smiled at her. "Sure, I know a perfect spot," he said, and took her arm as he led the way down to the courtyard. 

Marinette wanted to jerk away from his touch. He didn’t feel right, almost as if he were coated in some slime or something. She didn’t want to alert him to her discomfort, however, so she allowed him to pull her over by the stairs, where they would be for the most part hidden. 

Finally, he paused and, looking up at her with dull green eyes, he tried to pull off Adrien’s smile. It failed miserably and Marinette took a step back away from him. "Marinette?" he queried, a little surprised at her actions, and she shook her head. 

"You're not Adrien. Why are you pretending to be him?" Marinette asked, getting right to the point and he froze. 

"How… how are you doing that?" Doppelganger asked, dropping the act and Adrien’s guise. 

Marinette sighed in relief as Wes' akumatized face looked back at her. "I don’t know, I just know you're not him," Then a sudden, previous, thought came to her and she glared up at Doppelganger, her hands curling into fists, making him take a step back towards the wall. 

"What did you do to Adrien?" she snapped. 

Doppelganger waved a hand. "He is tied up in his bedroom closet asleep. I just wanted to see what it was like to be popular for a day, and brush upon my acting skills, but it would seem as if you're going to try to mess that up for me." 

It wasn’t his real reason, Marinette was sure, but as an excuse it was passable she supposed. Doppelganger sighed as he raised a hand and black band like wisps formed there. “You are too damned perceptive, Marinette. Maybe I should have tried being you instead.”

Fury, annoyance, and a trickle of fear surged through Marinette as she realized he was about to attack her, so Marinette struck first. Her fist slammed forward into his jaw, knocking him back, and sweeping his legs out from under him, Marinette leapt back, dodging the shadows that filled the air around him. 

“Ok, I’m done,” Marinette yelped, as she darted away, feeling Tiki nudging at her insistently through her purse. 

Besides as a civilian she had done all that she was capable of doing. Ribbons flashed past her and Marinette, channeling her inner Ladybug, jumped over them, dodging to the side as more spun past. When Marinette wanted to be, she was actually quite fast and she made it into the open courtyard before the ribbons managed to snatch at her legs, making her trip. Marinette screamed as she fell, alerting the late class arrivals that something was amiss. 

"NO!" Doppelganger cried, leaping to his feet, but it was already too late.

Marinette shouted, "Akuma attack, everyone run!" 

Panic swiftly ensued, as the school alarm pealed to life and the black ribbons swarmed around her arms, pinning them to her sides. "Hey!" Marinette yelped, as she was lifted off the ground, while Doppelganger strode forward, a furious look in his eyes. 

"Let me down!" Marinette snarled, kicking at him when he got too close, and black ribbons bound her ankles forcing her to stop, even as he took a careful step back out of her range.

"You have ruined my day and I don’t know why," Doppelganger said, a sudden sad look in his eyes.

“Really?!” Marinette cried incredulously. “You don’t see anything wrong with what you have done so far? Yesterday or today?”

Doppelganger frowned, as a purple mask covered his face, and suddenly the black bonds around her tightened, making Marinette grimace. The school around them was in a panic as people rushed away from the akuma and Marinette was glad that she could distract him at least. 

"Let her GO!" a voice roared over the chaos and a clawed hand slashed the air between them, cutting the ribbons that held her in the air. To Marinette’s disappointment the ribbons binding her body didn’t vanish and Chat caught her easily, long before she hit the ground. One of his legs spun out as he landed and Doppelganger yelped in surprise as his legs were taken out from under him for the second time that day. With Doppelganger down for a second, Chat darted over to the far wall, keeping Marinette pressed close to him until he set her down ever so gently.

"You ok, Princess?" Chat asked.

Marinette blinked, grateful that he had chosen that moment to turn up. "I…look out!" she shouted, sweeping his legs out from under him as the black ribbons, turned to spikes, impaled the air he had been in a moment before. 

"Run, Princess!" Chat snapped, slashing at the black ribbons on her ankles, shredding them to nothing in seconds flat, before taking off across the courtyard on all fours.      

"Tiki! Can you get these things off?" Marinette whispered, rolling up onto her knees as Tiki darted up behind her back.

"It’s going to take me a minute, Marinette," Tiki answered and Marinette felt the slightest of tugs as she got to work. People were running, avoiding the courtyard as Chat battled against Doppelganger. Chat kept glancing around looking for Ladybug and Doppelganger was becoming more frustrated as Chat kept dodging his attacks. Chat’s stamina couldn’t last out forever, however, and it was then that Marinette realized he was stalling trying to give the people clearing out time to escape. 

"Hurry…" Marinette moaned, as she watched a black blade like ribbon slash past Chat’s shoulder cutting him so that blood ran down his arm. He ignored the pain, darting in to land a blow of his own, scoring three parallel lines across Doppelganger’s chest.  Doppelganger cried out, his voice full of fear and he swept his arm forward a dozen or more of the black ribbons turning into bars that slammed into Chat. Marinette could hear the sound of the impact, it was so hard, and Chat went sailing back to smash into the wall. His baton hit the ground between them, rolling so that it was several feet away and Chat simply lay there in a crumpled heap. For several moments Chat remained unmoving, before he finally rolled over, his arms shaking as they took his weight.

"Chat!!!" Marinette screamed as the last black bond around her arms broke.

Things seemed to move in slow motion and looking back Marinette didn’t know what she had been thinking, moving the way she did. Perhaps it was the fact that she simply hadn't thought about it at all. Chat was in trouble and seeing his body thrown into the wall, hearing his cry of pain as she sat trapped within the black bonds… something within her snapped. Tiki had been ripping her way through the bonds and as the last one broke Marinette was already on her feet, rushing towards Chat. Somehow the foolish cat had managed to get himself into a halfway decent standing position, defiance and pain clear on his face. Chat’s baton was out of his reach while Doppelganger stood several feet away, and neither of them noticed her as she sprinted at them, desperation written all over her face. 

"Your miraculous!" Doppelganger snarled, one hand pressed to his chest as the wavy black lines swirled about him. 

Chat gave his patented grin. "Over my dead body," he hissed, clutching at his shoulder, a small trickle of blood slipping down his head and past the mask. 

"Deal!" Doppelganger cried and the black ribbons jutted forward aiming at Chat’s heart. 

Marinette’s body moved on its own, the overwhelming urge to protect her partner as he had her so many times surged through her, and she leapt the distance, tackling Chat to the ground.  Pain seared across her back for a brief instant, then their bodies hit the ground with her on top of him.

"Princess?!" Chat cried, as her body weight crushed the air from his lungs, but there was no time to speak. The fight wasn’t over, not by a long shot, and practically sensing Doppelganger’s attack, she scrambled to her knees, throwing her arms out wide, shielding Chat's body with her own. Two flashes of black and a slight pain as one flash sliced her cheek open, then the world seemed to freeze. She panted, her breath coming in hard gasps, as she looked down and saw the black line hovering centimeters from her chest. If Doppelganger hadn't stopped that attack it would have gone straight into her heart. Cringing, she felt Chat grip at her jacket, heard his gasp as he realized she had been injured. 

"This time I will protect you," Marinette whispered, her voice almost sub vocal. Anything Chat had to say was lost to Doppelganger crying, "Ma-Marinette?" as he stared at her in shock, stumbling backwards.

"You…will not… hurt him," Marinette panted, her blue eyes blazing with fury, as she stood ignoring the black line still pointed at her body. She wished she were in costume, wished she had her yoyo, because she wanted to end this now before anyone else got hurt. 

Before Chat got hurt. 

There had been no time though. Marinette knew that if she hadn't acted the way she did there was a good chance Chat would have been killed before she could make it back to his side as Ladybug. The thought infuriated her while the black bands retracted and, without another thought, she sprinted forward. 

Chat’s baton was on the ground between them and she scooped it up, twisting in the air, as Doppelganger launched a feeble attack in her direction. She dodged it easily, smacking another attack away from her body as she charged him dead on. Whipping the baton around her, Marinette swung at him and at the last second, realizing she was still coming, Doppelganger twisted sideways, black bands swirling up to protect him. The baton cracked down on his shoulder instead of his skull and Marinette made a grab for the mask that sat upon his head. Doppelganger shrieked, black wisps jutting out at all angles, as he tried to force her to back off. Marinette did, dodging his sloppy retaliation attack before darting back in, swinging the baton like a baseball bat so it cracked hard against his ribs. The blow knocked him off his feet and he crashed down, sliding a few feet on the courtyards ground. Moving forward Marinette hoped to have another shot at the purple mask that sat upon Doppelganger’s head but it wasn’t to be. Doppelganger sat up, the purple outline of Hawkmoth’s mask shining around his face then, before Marinette could make a move, black swarmed Doppelganger’s body leaving Adrien’s face, his eyes wide and pleading. Marinette knew it was a trick and yet she froze for the barest of instances, instinct rendering her unable to attack the person she loved. Adrien’s face twisted cruelly and black surged from him as the purple of Hawkmoth’s mask lined his face. Arms encircled her, ripping her off her feet and away from the danger of Doppelganger’s attack. Unable to do anything else, Marinette clung to Chat, keeping hold of his baton as Chat raced and dodged the black attacks. Marinette yelled out a warning when attacks came a bit too close and within a few seconds they were up on the second level, out of Doppelganger’s range and sight. Moments later they were inside an empty classroom and Chat slid to a halt, before placing her gently on the teacher's desk. Swiftly he went back to the door ready to throw himself back into the fray and sighed almost in relief. 

"He's gone," He muttered then, checking for prying eyes, he closed the door and turned to Marinette. 

"What in the hell were you thinking?" he demanded, as their eyes met, the awe on his face completely negating the anger in his tone. "I mean, taking on guys twice your size is one thing, but that was an akuma!"

Marinette flushed, feeling rather glad Chat didn't know about her punching the same akuma in the face yesterday. She had a feeling he would pop a blood vessel if he did and, feeling the need to defend herself, she slid off the desk so she could stand. "He was going to kill you. I couldn't watch that happen, even though everyone else seemed perfectly content to!"

Chat grimaced. "They knew it was dangerous! That he is dangerous! Of course they were not going to step in and risk their lives." 

"Maybe that’s what's wrong with this city, then! Maybe that’s what's wrong with this world! I don’t care who it is, I will not let someone get hurt or killed in front of me. Not if I can help them!" Marinette snarled, her worry and fear for him clear in her eyes. 

Chat moved forward and in the next instant he had his arms around her, pulling her tight against him. "I'm sorry, Marinette, I was just scared for you. You're more fragile than I or Ladybug, though you have a hell of a swing." 

Marinette went stiff for the briefest of seconds before relaxing into his hold, his baton clattering to the ground as she hugged him back. They had both feared losing the other in that battle, although Chat had no idea he was hugging Ladybug too. He was warm and Marinette realized she didn’t know what she would do if something ever did happen to him. It made her understand his determination to take blows for her, because whether she was Ladybug or Marinette she would move to protect him again and again, regardless of the consequences. 

Pulling back, Chat frowned, brushing a clawed finger over the bloody line on her cheek. "Thank you, for saving my pelt. I am fur-ever in your debt." 

Marinette rolled her eyes, unable to stop the nervous chuckle from escaping as the tension between them snapped. It was time to move on, and high time to get rid of the akuma Doppelganger. With a sigh Marinette took a step back and pushed a gentle hand into his chest.

"Go save the day, kitty. It's just a scratch. I will be fine," she said, with a smile that made Chat smile too.

Looking into her eyes, Chat knew she would be ok and he reached down to pick his baton up off the ground. Placing the weapon at the base of his spine he took Marinette’s hand once more. 

“I will see you tonight and we will be talking about this some more,” he murmured.

Marinette rolled her eyes in exasperation, knowing there was nothing she could say to change his mind. “I’ll make us some hot chocolate then,” She muttered.

With a satisfied grin, Chat nodded then fled the room, intent on hunting Doppelganger down. The moment the door clicked shut Tiki flew from Marinette purse. "What were you thinking, Marinette? You should have transformed and then gone to save him! If you had been killed Chat would be on his own and…" 

Marinette caught her frantic partner and held her close. "I'm so sorry, Tiki. Transforming would have taken too long and I was out in the open. I…I couldn’t bear to see him hurt, not when I had the power to stop it."

Tiki rubbed a gentle paw over the scratch on her cheek which had stopped bleeding. "You're such a good person, Marinette. Are we going after Doppelganger?" 

Marinette nodded. "Yes, the akuma is in his mask on his head. Tiki, Spots On!" 

They were out the window in seconds and up over the rooftops, trying to find where Chat Noir or Doppelganger had vanished to.  


	8. Friday

 

Ladybug swung from building to building on the lookout for Chat or Doppelganger. Of course they had both vanished even though she had been only seconds behind. 

“Tiki, I really hate these mimic akumas,” She grumbled. 

“It will be ok, Marinette. I’m sure you will run into Chat soon,” Tiki replied. 

“Ladybug!” Chat’s voice called out and Ladybug skidded to a stop, turning to face Chat as he landed on the other side roof. 

“There you are, Chat! Are you ok?” Ladybug asked, then froze as she took him in. 

He wasn’t injured in the slightest. No blood or cuts or anything and she really didn’t need Tiki’s voice whispering, “It’s the akuma!”

Doppelganger grinned at her. “I’m fine! Any idea as to what we are dealing with?” 

Ladybug nodded as she walked forwards to the akuma. “Apparently the akuma hit the school again, but it’s got to be close, so we can split up and search that way.” 

Doppelganger nodded, missing how Ladybug clenched her fist. “How should we….ugh.” 

Ladybug swung her fist, colliding with his chest, knocking the air out of him and darkness instantly shimmered around him as he lost control over his shapeshifting powers. Swinging a second time, she yelped, dodging back as black needle like lines shot out from around him. Her feet slid on the sloping roof and she jumped up the slope, pausing at the top in time to see the darkness coming for her. Ladybug brought up her yoyo, spinning it rapidly as the dark attack crashed into it, pushing her off the roof’s spine. The attack broke off and Ladybug ran down the slope, leaping to a flatter rooftop, realizing the darkness was still in pursuit. She twisted midair, bringing her yoyo up for protection once more and was slammed down into the rooftop as the darkness struck the yoyo’s shield. For a second time, the attack broke off and Ladybug flipped off her back, her yoyo never quite stopping it’s spinning motion. A third attack struck home and instead of it all dissolving into the yoyo’s shield, some of the darkness seemed to crawl to the edge, before spiking down at her body again. Ladybug yelped as it scored shallow wounds, before she could leap away. Rolling and leaving a smear of blood in her wake, Ladybug popped over the edge of a wall breathing hard. She needed to call Chat and she needed a plan so, without a second thought, she tossed her yoyo into the air crying, “Lucky Charm!” 

Light coalesced, forming into a odd shape that dropped into her palms. It was a miniature paintball gun and Ladybug eyed the thing feeling distinctly confused. With a shrug and her yoyo in hand she leaped to the top of the wall ready for round two. The odd thing was that as she looked around there was absolutely no one there. Doppelganger had fled. 

Chat sprinted across the rooftops, eyes open for any kind of danger. His shoulder and head hurt a little, but the pain was acceptable compared to the fearful panic he had felt when Marinette had thrown herself in front of him. Somewhere in the universe a scoreboard read: Marinette 3, Akuma 0, and Chat was on the fence as to how he felt about the whole thing. 

“Adrien, pay attention!” Plagg snapped, in the back of his mind and Chat paused at the edge of a building to take a deep breath. 

Plagg had come for him once the akuma had left, but it had taken the kwami a while to awaken Adrien. Then Plagg had stared ripping through the black bonds since they hadn’t faded, even though Doppelganger was nowhere near them. Adrien had been infuriated that he had been taken down so easily and, realizing how upset his chosen was, Plagg had stopped trying to free him, threatening to leave him there while he went to Ladybug for help. Honestly, Plagg could understand his kitten’s fury, especially since it had taken all of his self-control to not attack the akuma when it had pinned Adrien. However, Chat Noir needed a clear head when fighting, otherwise he could get hurt or get Ladybug hurt. 

“I can’t believe Marinette did that,” Chat muttered, head in his hands finally voicing his scrambled thoughts.

“I can. She cares about you and she wanted to make sure you survived,” Plagg answered.

Chat ran a clawed hand through his hair, wincing as one of his fingers brushed the cut on his skull. “Ok, fine, but… I just… I don’t know why… I mean she has protected me as both Adrien and Chat. Do you think she knows?”

Plagg snorted. “No, she definitely does not know. However as Doppelganger pointed out, she has a crush on you, so it made her want to protect your civilian form no matter what.”

Chat groaned, his cheeks flushing as he thought about Marinette. Shy, sweet, Marinette was far more than what she seemed, and Chat wasn’t sure how to react to the information that she had a crush on him. 

“If you didn’t have a crush on Ladybug you would date her in a heartbeat,” Plagg snarked, feeling his kitten’s mixed up emotions. 

“Argh, shut up, Plagg!” Chat snarled pushing himself to his feet and starting to move again. 

He hated to admit it but Plagg was right. He had noticed Marinette the very first day he had gone to school and had instantly loved the fire that seemed to burn within her, making everything around her bright. However he had met Ladybug that day too and Ladybug was brave, kind, beautiful, her laugh infectious, her bluebell eyes so bright…

Chats limbs seemed to freeze on their own and he tripped, nearly sending himself head first off the roof as his brain made a connection that simply couldn’t be undone. They both had blue eyes. They both had the same hair style, and while that could be Marinette copying Ladybug, Adrien distinctly remembered her having that hairstyle on the first day of school. That first day was long before Ladybug became popular enough for people to mimic her hairstyle. It wasn’t just those two things either. Every word Adrien had used to describe Ladybug easily described Marinette as well, and just a few days ago hadn’t he mistaken Marinette’s voice for Ladybug’s? 

“Oh hell, Plagg, how blind am I?” Chat muttered, and Plagg cackled in the back of his brain.

“Do you really want me to answer that?” Plagg asked, and Chat shook his head, forcing himself back to his now unsteady feet. 

“Chat Noir!” Ladybug’s voice rang out and Chat turned to see her leaping to his rooftop. “Are you alright? You almost went head first off the roof for a second there.” 

Chat blinked at her, his instincts suddenly screaming that something wasn’t right. “I’m ok. I just got hit a little hard when I was at the school,” He answered, as Ladybug took a step closer to him. The wind kicked up around them briefly, bringing with it the scents of the city and a strange metallic smell that oozed from the Ladybug before him. Chat grimaced, understanding at once that this figure before him was Doppelganger. 

“Akuma, Adrien,” Plagg whispered unhelpfully, and Chat wanted to roll his eyes and exclaim, ‘Ya Think?!’

“We need to find the akuma,” Chat managed instead, somehow keeping the snarl out of his tone. 

Doppelganger nodded looking away and Chat attacked, slamming his baton into the back of Doppelganger’s head. At least he would have if Doppelganger hadn’t ducked, leaping back as Chat tried to land a second blow. The Ladybug façade faded as black spikes jutted out at Chat, forcing him to leap to the next building, since he was at the edge. Darkness gripped his ankle before he managed to land and Doppelganger used him like a wrecking ball, crashing him through a chimney, then an antenna, before finally smashing him into the roof, hard enough to leave a crater.

“Adrien, get up!” Plagg cried and Chat desperately tried.

Chat’s head spun as he lay there, attempting to roll over, and he managed to take in a gasping breath, even as darkness bound his arms to the shingles, leaving him unable to move. 

“And here I thought you would be more trouble. Ladybug certainly is a handful,” Doppelganger said, moving into Chat’s line of sight as he snarled weakly at him. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll give you more trouble than you bargained for!” A voice cried, and Doppelganger turned, yelping as several somethings struck his back. Before he could complete his turn, however, a red blur slammed feet first into him, sending him crashing into the roof. Ladybug slid to a halt and as Doppelganger started to stand, she tossed her yoyo out, catching him about his waist. Twisting hard, Ladybug wrenched Doppelganger off his feet and chucked him over the side of the building, where he crashed into the wall before falling out of sight. Knowing she had bought them several seconds, Ladybug darted to Chat’s side and slashed through his dark bonds with her yoyo. Instantly, Chat tried to leap to his feet and nearly toppled, making Ladybug catch him, supporting is weight. 

“Chat, are you ok? I’m so sorry I was late,” Ladybug murmured, as she held him close. 

Chat breathed in smelling lavender, vanilla, and that strange spicy extra that made up Ladybug’s unique scent. “I’m much better now that you are here, My Lady. Thanks for getting me free.” 

Ladybug nodded slowly and Chat managed to get his legs underneath him as she asked, “How did you know that was Doppelganger?” 

Chat opened his mouth to reveal how his scent gave him away when he realized that was the answer he needed. If Marinette was Ladybug she would share the same scent as her. “I… just… knew,” Chat answered instead, his words not really being a lie. He had kind of realized it was Doppelganger before the scent had confirmed it.

Ladybug nodded once, accepting his nonexistent explanation. “I understand completely. He tried that with me and I don’t know how I knew, I just did. In any case, this akuma is becoming really irritating. Shall we go stop him permanently?” 

“Never thought you’d ask, My Lady,” Chat answered, and together they ran to the edge, finding all too late that Doppelganger had once more given them the slip.

“This guy is becoming in-fur-iatingly annoying,” Chat grumbled and Ladybug rolled her eyes, even as she ruffled his hair. 

“It’s ok, Chat, I tagged him with this,” she said, as she raised a Ladybug spotted miniature paintball gun. 

“Your lucky charm?” Chat cried, eyeing her earrings. They weren’t missing a dot yet, but Chat knew it was now a race against time. 

“We have dealt with worse. Lets go,” Ladybug answered with a shrug, and leapt to the next building. 

Chat followed her and together they watched the streets, coming to a small festival going on in one of the squares. 

“Crap,” Chat growled and pointed out a small figure that was moving to some of the booths. 

“Is that?!” Ladybug started as she picked out the pigtailed figure that had red polka dotted paint splashed across her back. 

Chat’s belt tail actually lashed the air, showing his fury, and he gritted his teeth. “He is disguising himself as Marinette.” 

“I’ll get him. We don’t want him to hurt any civilians, so try and get them to move away,” Ladybug snapped, even as her earrings beeped at her. 

She didn’t give Chat a chance to answer, swinging down into the square calling, “Marinette!” 

Doppelganger froze and turned slowly, an odd smile twisting her lips. “Um… uh… hi! H-how are you, L-Ladybug?” 

Ladybug wanted to groan, impressed despite herself. Doppelganger had her down to that stupid stutter that plagued her. Instead of groaning, Ladybug forced a smile to her lips and reached out to grab her hand. Watching as Chat hit the ground and extended his staff so it blocked people from moving past him to get to Ladybug. People were surprised, but he swiftly pressed a finger to his lips mouthing akuma to them, and people did what they do best in Paris these days. They started to run. 

“Chat told me what you did at the school and I just wanted to say thank you. May I take you home, since the akuma is still hanging around?” Ladybug said, keeping Doppelganger’s eyes on her so he didn’t notice the people fleeing the scene of the soon to be battle. 

Doppelganger shook his head. “No, I-I’ll be ok. T-though it’s really nice of you to offer.”

The siren went off for their area, instantly making Ladybug jump and causing Doppelganger’s form to flicker. 

Ladybug smirked, pulling her yoyo out, “Gotcha.” 

Doppelganger gave a wordless snarl, his disguise dropping, as he fired off an attack at Ladybug. She dodged, throwing her yoyo out so it wrapped around his legs, keeping him from running, and pulled. Darkness shot from him, some spikes sinking into the ground to help him keep his balance as the rest pursued Ladybug’s lithe form. He bent slightly, trying to reach the yoyo’s string, when he saw the boots rushing towards him. 

Doppelganger twisted in the yoyo’s string, but was unable to dodge Chat’s fist. It slammed hard, right into his jaw and Doppelganger went airborne for a brief second, before Chat’s staff swatted him from the air to slam him hard to the ground. 

The darkness vanished instantly, Doppelganger’s concentration completely broken. Chat arrived at his side and reached down, yanking the masquerade style mask from his face and tossing it to Ladybug. She caught it and recalled her yoyo, spinning Doppelganger a bit as it untangled from his legs. Chat, however, reached down and gripped the front of Doppelganger’s suit, lifting the stunned akuma up. 

“One of these days, Hawkmoth, you are going to regret ever sending out that first purple butterfly,” Chat hissed and the purple mask surrounded Doppelganger’s face. 

“Do not make empty threats, child. I will have what I desire, even if I have to kill to get it,” Hawkmoth’s voice hissed from Doppelganger’s mouth. Darkness swarmed the space between them, stabbing into Chat as he released Doppelganger a little too late. 

Chat cried out, falling back, as Ladybug snapped up the fleeing butterfly. “Chat!” Ladybug cried, running to his side. Blood welled from deep puncture marks, as Doppelganger’s powers were nullified and he returned to being Wes. 

“You idiot! What in the hell were you doing?!” Ladybug shrieked at him, even as she released the purified butterfly from her yoyo.

“Bye, bye, pretty butterfly,” Chat murmured in her stead, since she was still yelling, even as she threw up the paintball gun calling, “Miraculous Cleanse!”

Light swirled around them both, healing them, and Ladybug grabbed Chat’s suit hauling him into a sitting position looking furious. 

“I am going to ask it One. More. Time.” Ladybug started, then gasped as Chat pulled her down into his lap in a hug. 

“I was threatening Hawkmoth. Sorry, My Lady. I won’t do it again,” Chat whispered. 

Ladybug muttered something about stupid kittens, even as she squeezed him tight. 

They stayed like that even as Wes asked, “Um, what happened?” Beeping, however, broke them apart. 

Ladybug’s hand flew to her ears as she slid off Chat’s lap so she was kneeling at his side. “I’ve got to go. Will you be ok, Chat?”

Chat nodded, watching as people began to file back into the square. “I’ll be fine, My Lady. I’ll even get Wes here, where ever he needs to go.”

Ladybug nodded, climbing to her feet. “Thank you, Chat,” She whispered, then took off, throwing out her yoyo and swinging away out of sight. 

Wes watched her, looking a bit awestruck, and he turned to Chat his eyes dreamy. “She is amazing.” 

Chat growled. “She is mine.” 

Wes blinked and his hands flew up in surrender. “Agreed! All yours, and I think I will be fine getting home on my own.” 

Chat huffed under his breath as Wes scrambled away from him, letting him go since he was going to follow from the rooftops anyways. Slowly, he stood and, with a quick wave at the incoming crowd, he launched himself to the rooftops with his baton. 

It was almost 10pm when Chat finally managed to sneak out to meet up with his princess, and he was surprised to find her out on her rooftop. Two mugs sat on a small table next to where she lay, curled up and fast asleep in her lounger. He grinned at her cute sleeping face and dropped to his knees next to her, reaching out to slide his arms under her.  She wiggled as he lifted her, sighing and snuggling in close to his chest. Chat took a deep breath and froze as her scent flooded his nose. Lavender, vanilla, and that spice he still couldn’t quite identify filled his lungs and he breathed, “Ladybug…” 

“What, kitty?” Marinette mumbled, her eyes fluttering open to stare into his green ones. 

“Chat?” Marinette asked confused and Chat blinked, realizing she had woken up. 

“S-Sorry!” Chat yelped, swiftly releasing her back into her lounger and jerked upright. 

Marinette blinked rapidly, feeling confused, but she swung her legs over the edge and reached for the cup of hot chocolate that was now cold. 

“Are you ok, Chat?” She asked, as she shook off the last bits of slumber and slowly stood to gather both cups. 

Chat nodded. “I just wanted to stop by and thank you for today. I also wanted to apologize if I was a little short. This akuma, Doppelganger, managed to really get under my fur.”

Marinette sighed, placing the cups back down on the table, and reached out to take both of Chat’s hands. “It’s ok, Chat. I didn’t really like this akuma either. He kept pretending to be the boy I have a crush on and kept giving me the willies.” 

“C-Crush?!” Chat squeaked, feeling his face burn and Marinette smiled at him. 

“Yeah, he even asked me out earlier today. A-as friends at least… we are going as a group and I’m just glad he noticed me! Hehe I guess I have Wes to thank for that. Don’t worry though, you will always be my favorite kitten,” She said, and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. 

Chat felt like he was about to either pass out or explode, and Marinette giggled at the look on his face. 

“Do you want to come in and I’ll heat up the hot chocolate?” Marinette asked, releasing his hands. 

Chat pressed a hand to his cheek, the grin on his face growing bigger by the second. “You know, princess, that sounds paw-sitively fur-tastic.”

Marinette groaned as she turned to her hatch, and to Chat, it was music to his ears. 


	9. Akuma Picture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So last chapter was the end of the actual story. There is a sequel in the works but I have no idea when I will get around to finishing it. Anyhow this is the way Doppelganger looks in my mind and since he turned into Adrien so many times in the story I decided to have him half transformed here. Hope you like it! Its inked with Prismacolor pens and colored with Prismacolor pencils.   
> Thank you everyone who has liked and commented on the story!

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/163482695@N03/39837351893/in/dateposted-public/)


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